


Let Us Be

by Hellbreaker0234



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Demon Prince Adrien, Gabriel is an asshole, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Magical Bonds, Marinette was adopted by tom and sabine, Multi, Nino is a shapeshifter, Rating May Change, but that depends on how bold i get, canon has been scrapped for spare parts, causal magic, does not go into detail, good luck, hot mess adrien, how do tags work, magical au, marinette is a witch, seriously this doesnt follow the show, shitty deals, they died
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-10-24
Packaged: 2019-11-01 16:40:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 26,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17870876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellbreaker0234/pseuds/Hellbreaker0234
Summary: No Miraculous, Aged Up AUMarinette is an orphaned witch who runs her deceased adoptive parents’ bakery. She charms her pastries to suit her customers’ needs (confidence, good luck boost, etc). Her life is as simple as it could be.Adrien is the Prince of the Demon Realm. He has been sent to the Human Realm by his father to search for the bride that was betrothed to him when he was a mere infant. He wishes to free himself from his father to live his own life and has no desire to take his place on the throne.Add to that an all-powerful being hellbent on enslaving the human race, and life for Marinette and Adrien will never be the same.





	1. Yer a Witch, Mari

The bell chimed over the door to the bakery and Marinette looked up from her spellbook with a smile. 

“Welcome to Charmed. What can I get for you today?” 

The girl at the counter peeked up at the young witch through her dark, purple-streaked fringe and gave her a timid smile. 

“Um,” she started, so quiet that Marinette had to lean across the counter to hear her. “I have a presentation to give in my class today and my girlfriend, Rose, said that you might be able to help me.” Marinette gave the shy girl a kind smile and nodded, stepping to the side to gesture to the display case of baked goods. 

“Of course. Just pick anything from the ‘Confidence’ shelf right here,” she said, pointing to the top shelf that was covered in cookies, croissants, and danishes. 

When Marinette’s adoptive parents died in a car accident, they had left her their bakery. Being non-magical humans, they made their brand by making the best pastries in Paris. When Marinette took over the business, she added her own spin to it. She still used their recipes, but she charmed certain items to help give her customers a little boost when they needed it. 

The ‘Confidence’ treats that the girl was looking at were meant to help with public speaking, general nervousness, and such. ‘Good Luck’ danishes were her best sellers, though, and they gave whomever ate them a boost of good luck for the day. All of the spells were temporary, of course, but Marinette knew firsthand how difficult life could be and she was happy to use her powers to help people when they needed it. 

Once her customer pointed out a raspberry danish, Marinette bagged it and rang her up. 

“You’re going to do great with your presentation,” Marinette said as she counted out the girl’s change. She handed the money over with another smile. 

“Thank you,” the other girl whispered, returning Marinette’s smile with a small one of her own and quickly making her way out the door and down the street. Marinette wiped the counter clean from the crumbs that had fallen on the glass and slid over to the sink beside the door to the kitchen.

She had just finished washing her hands and sat back down at her book when the bell chimed again. Looking up, she saw her best friend, Alya, make her way around the counter. 

“Hey, girl,” Alya quipped, grabbing her orange apron from a hook on the wall and tying it around her waist. Marinette closed her book and turned on her stool to face her. 

“Hey, yourself,” she replied, crossing one leg over the other and watching Alya bustle about to start her daily chores. She had gotten lucky to find a best friend that was so willing to help her with her business. Truth be told, Alya was much better with the bookkeeping part of business than Marinette had any hope of being, so they quickly decided to become partners in running the bakery. Giving their products a magical boost had been something that Alya had originally suggested after she confessed to wishing that she had powers of her own to fall back on if she ever needed them. 

Alya was the human child of a fox shapeshifter and another human. She was confident, sassy, and Marinette’s soulmate in every platonic sense of the word. Alya didn’t need to have magic in her blood to be amazing, she did that all on her own.

“Has it been busy today?” Alya asked, washing her hands at the sink. 

“Not really. It’s been pretty slow. Lunch rush was pretty busy but that’s about it,” Marinette said, sliding off of the stool and stretching her arms above her head. “I’ve already got everything in the kitchen cleaned and I already did inventory, so there isn’t much else for us to do but wait for customers at this point.” Alya grinned, wiping her hands on her apron. 

“A lazy work day? Sign me the fuck up.” 

 

Prince Adrien anxiously drummed his fingers on the long wooden table he sat at as he waited for his father. The King of the Demon Realm rarely took time out of his busy schedule to bless his son with his presence, and for him to have one of the servants seek Adrien out to summon him made Adrien nervous. The tabby cat at his feet butted his head against Adrien’s calf in a show of silent support. 

“Thanks, Nino,” he whispered out of the corner of his mouth before stiffening as he heard the heavy footsteps of the King approaching over the marble floor. Adrien stood as the scowling form of King Gabriel entered the room. “Father.”

Gabriel regarded his son with a stern gaze, acknowledging him with a nod and taking a seat at the head of the table. Adrien sat back down, moving his twitching hands to his lap to continue to tap his fingers against his thigh. King Gabriel cleared his throat, ensuring that he had the undivided attention of the _one_ person sitting in front of him. Adrien barely managed to resist rolling his eyes at his father’s insufferable sense of self-importance.

“Son. It is time for you to retrieve your bride,” he said, his stern expression never wavering. Adrien quirked an eyebrow. 

“My...my _what?_ ” 

True to form, Gabriel appeared unimpressed by his son’s bafflement. He leveled Adrien with an impassive stare and spoke again. 

“When you were an infant, a young wizard promised me his firstborn daughter to be married to you in exchange for unlimited magical power. It is time for you to collect her.” 

Adrien stood, placing his hands on the table and meeting his father’s nearly bored stare with a steely look of his own. 

“Do I not get a say in this?” He asked levelly, gripping the edge of the table and fighting to keep his temper in check. Gabriel sighed and scowled. 

“No. The deal has been made. You will train her to be a dutiful wife so that you may take your place on the throne,” he said. 

This time, Adrien didn’t bother to refrain from rolling his eyes. 

“And what if she doesn’t want to marry me?” He asked, crossing his arms. “I find it hard to believe that any woman would want to marry someone that she doesn’t know.”

“What she wants does not matter.” Gabriel slowly stood from his chair and placed his hands behind his back. “You will force her to come here, if need be. Take your shapeshifter friend with you if you would like. I will be waiting. Do not disappoint me.” With that, Gabriel turned on his heel and left his bewildered, angry son behind him. 

Once the footsteps faded and the King was well out of earshot, Nino shifted back to his human form and placed a hand on Adrien’s shoulder. 

“Uncool,” he muttered. Adrien sighed and turned to face his best friend. 

“This is insane. I can’t force someone to marry me. I don’t want to get married to some stranger anyway.” He threw his hands up. “And even if I was fine with it, which I’m _not_ , I can’t _force someone to marry me!_ ” He ran a hand through his hair, messing up the carefully styled strands. 

“Look on the bright side, dude,” Nino said, prompting Adrien to stare at him blankly. He grinned. “You get to get away from the Royal Tightass for a little bit. He can’t control you while you’re in the human realm.”

Adrien offered Nino a tight smile and shrugged as the two began walking to Adrien’s room. 

“I guess you’re right about that. At least I get to bring you along,” he said. Nino bumped Adrien’s shoulder with his own. 

“Are you kidding? Whether he said I could go or not, I’d be going with you.” Walking into Adrien’s massive bedroom, Nino sat on the bed while Adrien packed a bag with things they would need. “We can figure out what to do about the whole marriage thing once we get there. We can at least meet the girl and see if you like her. But, forget about that for now.” 

Something in Nino’s voice prompted Adrien to look up at him. He caught sight of the gleam in his friend’s eye. It was the same look that always preceded the two of them being lectured by his father for hours on the importance of maintaining a good image for the royal family and he gulped. 

“Let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into without King Dickwad breathing down your neck.”


	2. Chapter 2

Moving from one realm to the next always gave Adrien a deeply unpleasant, tingly feeling that felt almost like his entire body had fallen asleep. While he had been to the human realm several times before, he had never been without his father and the possibilities that came with the newfound freedom was exhilarating. He and Nino appeared in a nondescript back alley littered with cardboard boxes and an overturned trash can and they gathered their bearings for a few minutes, shaking their hands in separate attempts to get rid of the tingles dancing through their veins. 

“I forgot how unpleasant that is,” Nino said, shuddering and stomping his feet against the ground to rid his toes of the feeling.

“I wish I could say it goes away the more you do it, but it doesn’t,” Adrien muttered, rapidly shaking his hands in front of his chest and then shoving them into the pockets of his leather jacket. He looked around them, taking in their surroundings. 

It was nearing nighttime, the sun having already started to go down. He could see the Eiffel tower in the distance and on the sidewalk outside of the alley they were standing in, people were walking to and fro. He caught sight of an elf in a black pantsuit, a cell phone held against her pointed ear as she briskly made her way past them. 

“I can’t believe my father sent me here to find this girl when I have no idea who she is or what she looks like,” Adrien griped, casting an exasperated look Nino’s way. 

“Did he at least give you a name?” Nino asked, grabbing Adrien’s arm and pulling him out of the alley. They made their way down the sidewalk at a leisurely pace, having no particular destination in mind. Adrien figured that they at least needed to look for a place to stay for the night. 

“He said her name is Marinette. No last name, no other details. Just a first name: Marinette.” Pulling out his phone, Adrien did a quick search for nearby hotels, easily booking a room online and pulling Nino to the right to walk down another street heading in the right direction. Nino kicked a rock on the ground, watching as it skittered away from them. 

“That blows,” he mumbled, shoving his hands in the pockets of his hoodie. 

“I guess that gives us plenty of an excuse to take our time here,” Adrien conceded, shrugging. “I booked us a room for the next few nights. The hotel shouldn’t be far from here.” The two of them stepped out of the way of a bicyclist barreling down the sidewalk. 

“I wish we didn’t have to go back,” Nino said, looking at Adrien out of the corner of his eye. “Mostly for your sake. I know you don’t want to be King.” Adrien sighed and ran his hand through his already messy hair. 

“Me, too. But, father has that stupid magic bind on me that keeps me tethered to him no matter where I’m at,” he explained. “Otherwise, I’d take my chances here and never go back.” 

The two friends walked silently for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. It was one thing to joke about getting into trouble and doing whatever they wanted in the safety of the palace. Now that they were in the human realm, though, the reality of the situation bore down on them like a runaway freight train. The knowledge that he would have to go back home at some point sat on Adrien’s shoulders, feeling like a physical force weighing him down. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud gurgling sound that came from Nino’s stomach and Adrien looked over at his friend with a smirk. 

“Should we stop somewhere for food?” He asked, already looking around them for somewhere that might be open. 

“Food would be fantastic,” Nino laughed, sniffing the air as they passed a small bakery. “How about there?” He gestured to the building beside them. “I could really go for some macarons right now.” 

Adrien laughed; his best friend had an insatiable sweet tooth. He had lost count of how many times Nino had gotten caught sneaking into the palace kitchen to steal pastries from under the chef’s nose. At one point, the man had actually chased Nino’s cat form out of the kitchen with a broom. 

“Macarons sound good,” he said and the two walked into the door of Charmed Bakery. 

The girl standing at the counter had glasses, mocha skin, red hair, and a bright smile. 

“Welcome to Charmed!” She chirped, leaning on her elbows on top of the glass display case. “What can I get for you, boys?” 

Adrien felt Nino fumble beside him and glanced over. His usually calm friend was red in the face and looked every bit like he was quietly trying not to shit himself in the middle of the store. Adrien briefly raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to the girl and giving her a polite smile. 

“We were hoping to get some macarons,” he said, trying to discreetly elbow Nino in the arm. Judging by the laugh the bespectacled girl behind the counter let out, he wasn't actually discreet at all. Subtly was never Adrien’s strong suit. 

“Well, you came to the right place.” She turned and gestured to another display case to her right and Adrien grabbed Nino by the arm and dragged him over to look at the colorful treats. Seeming to come to his senses, Nino looked up at the girl and cleared his throat. 

“Um...wassup?” He leaned forward to put his elbow in the display case, miscalculated, and stumbled into it instead. Adrien cringed, secondhand embarrassment washing over him. Nino righted himself, ears burning, and fiddled with his hat again. “I'm Nino.” 

“Alya,” she laughed, extending her hand out to him. He took the offered hand in his own, shaking it and giving her a lopsided grin. “You guys new around here?” 

“Yeah, sort of.” Nino nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “We just got here tonight.” Adrien wandered off further into the bakery to give his friend some space to attempt at flirting with Alya.

That was one embarrassing trainwreck he didn't wish to be a part of. 

He heard a loud crash coming from the kitchen and glanced up at the door in time to see a girl with dark hair in a pink apron rushing by. He craned his neck to try to get a better look at her, but to no avail. More crashing followed by muffled curses reached his ears and he chuckled to himself. 

Alya seemed unconcerned by the commotion, so he assumed that this was a regular occurrence. 

After several minutes had passed, he meandered back over to Nino and Alya, leaning close to each other in what looked like a playful conversation. Adrien cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. He didn't really _want_ to intrude and cut off Nino's conversation with the girl he was clearly interested in, but his stomach was starting to growl and they needed to find their hotel before it go too dark. 

The finished up with their order and left, Alya shooting Nino a wink and fluttering her fingers in a wave as they headed out. Once they made it safely down the street, Nino turned to him, practically vibrating with excitement. 

“Dude! She gave me her number and told me to text her later.” 

“That's awesome, bro,” Adrien said, laughing a little as Nino stared at the scrap of paper on his hands like it contained all of the secrets to the universe. 

“But what does that _mean?_ ” He asked, looking at Adrien with wide eyes. Adrien quirked an eyebrow at him. 

“I _think_ \-- and I'm just throwing ideas out here-- but I think that means to text her later,” Adrien said, smirking. Nino huffed and rolled his eyes. 

“But how much later? Is now too soon? It's too soon.” He muttered, grabbing his phone out of his pocket. 

“How about we get to our room first and then you should text her. She should be off work soon anyway, the bakery was about to close.” Nino nodded after a brief moment of contemplation, stashing his phone back in his pocket. 

Adrien had a strong feeling that they would be seeing Alya again in the very near future. And he hoped that he would be able to get another glimpse of the clumsy girl from the kitchen, too.


	3. Chapter 3

Marinette leaned on her elbows at one of the small tables in the bakery and squinted at Alya. She had been smiling at her phone for half an hour. Not that Alya being glued to her phone was new by any means. However, the smiling, the quiet giggling, and the faint blush coloring her cheeks…

_That_ was new. And as such, it could only mean one thing. 

“So, what’s his name?’ Marinette called from her seat at the table. Alya’s head whipped up, eyes meeting Marinette’s in a wide stare. She laughed breathlessly and sat her phone down on the counter beside her. 

“Who?” She asked, feigning innocence, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. Marinette quirked an eyebrow at her and smirked. 

“The boy you’ve been texting all day. And don’t say you aren’t talking to anyone, I know that look.” Marinette’s smirk only grew as Alya’s blush creeped up her face. The girl in question looked off to the side for a few seconds before letting out a big breath and smiling at her best friend. 

“His name is Nino. I met him here last night when he and his friend came in right before we closed,” she confessed, grabbing her phone and crossing the distance to sit at the other end of Marinette’s table. 

“Oooh, tell me about him.” Marinette leaned forward, smiling and giving Alya her undivided attention. Alya wiggled in her seat and leaned closer. 

“Okay, so he’s really into music and we have similar tastes. Him and his friend aren’t from around here and he was really awkward and shy at first but it was kind of endearing, you know? After he got over that some and we started talking, he was really easy to talk to. He made me feel really comfortable,” she gushed before giving Marinette a sly look. “Also, his friend is pretty cute. Tall, blond, green eyes. He seems like your type.” Alya waggled her eyebrows at Marinette’s nonplussed expression. 

“Alya,” Marinette whined, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. “You know I’m not looking to get into anything right now.” Alya waved her hand. 

“I know, I know. But from what Nino has told me about him, I feel like you two would at least get along as friends. Which is what I’m hoping for because he kinda asked me to hang out with them tonight and I kinda said I would but only if you could come, too.” She fixed Marinette with a pleading smile, eyes going wide and distinctively kitten-like. Marinette huffed out a laugh and rolled her eyes. 

“Of course you did,” she muttered, trying to sound mad. Her resolve crumbled with one look at Alya’s face and she huffed. “Ugh, fine. You know I won’t let you go out with strange boys alone anyway. Please put away those damn Kitten Eyes.” 

Alya let out a _whoop_ and hopped to her feet. 

“Let’s go get ready then,” she said, pulling Marinette up by the arm. Marinette let out a dramatic groan but followed Alya up the stairs nevertheless. 

One of the best things about Alya moving in with Marinette is that Marinette always had someone to do her hair and watch movies with. The downside, however, was that Alya frequently decided Marinette was being too reclusive and dragged her out. It was a heavy price to pay, but Marinette really did love having her around. 

After her parents died in the wreck, Alya was basically all she had left. And she was amazing. Alya had planned the funeral because Marinette couldn’t bring herself to do it. She brought food when Marinette couldn’t find the motivation to make herself eat. Marinette vividly remembered one instance when things got really bad and she didn’t leave her bed for three days. Alya had come in and manhandled her into a shower, having lunch made and her favorite comedy geared up to play by the time she got out. It was tough love sometimes, but it was always exactly what she needed. 

The girls got ready in a blur. Once Marinette hopped out of the shower, Alya shoved a blue and white striped sundress into her hands before slipping into the bathroom and leaving Marinette to get dressed and fix her makeup. Marinette wished she would have thought to ask about what the plans were, but she applied simple makeup that would work for anything and braided her hair. 

“Alya,” Marinette called once she heard the bathroom door open, stepping out of her bedroom debating between the two shoes in her hands. “Flats or wedges? I don’t know what you guys have planned.” Alya looked at her options and tapped her chin, looking thoughtful. 

“Go with the blue wedges. They look much better with that dress and we’re just going to have pizza and watch movies in their hotel room.” Marinette paused as she slid the shoe onto her foot, looking up at Alya with a concerned frown. 

“We’re going to hang out with two strange guys alone in their hotel room?” She asked dubiously. “Isn’t that kind of sketchy?” Alya waved off the concern and shook her head. 

“I’ve got pepper spray and a stun gun in my purse and I also put them in yours. Plus, you have that witchy magic if we need it.” She turned to the mirror and began to apply eyeliner. “I don’t feel like these guys are creeps, though.” Marinette slipped on her other shoe and walked over to lean on the bathroom door frame with her arms crossed. 

“That’s what the girls in the movies always say before she inevitably gets herself and her unfortunate best friend murdered,” she muttered. Alya barked out a laugh, studying her reflection. 

“I promise, girl. Everything will be fine. How about I tweet that we’re going out with some friends at the hotel. We can also let the front desk person know what we’re doing, if that will make you more comfortable.” Satisfied with how she looked, Alya fluffed her hair and turned to smile at the doubtful Marinette. “And if either of us feels even slightly uncomfortable by anything they do at any time, we haul ass out of there. Deal?” 

Marinette thought for a moment, tilting her head side to side as she mentally assessed all of Alya’s proposed precautions. She seemed to have thought this through and Alya had never led her wrong before. Marinette trusted her friend, but she would definitely be on high alert for any red flags. 

“Deal.” Marinette conceded. Alya beamed and grabbed her in a tight hug before ushering her to the living room to grab their purses. 

“You’ll have fun. I really think you’ll get along with Nino’s friend.” Marinette smirked and rolled her eyes, checking to make sure she had everything they needed before the two girls took to the street. 

 

At the hotel, Adrien sat back and watched Nino run around the room in amusement. He had invited Alya over for pizza and movies, excitedly telling Adrien about the plan...only to completely derail and panic once he got a confirmation that she was coming. Nino came to an abrupt halt in front of the couch where Adrien sat and held up two shirts; one green button up and one blue. 

“Which one?” He asked, sounding about four seconds away from a wardrobe-related nervous breakdown. Adrien put a finger to his chin and pretended to ponder the two until Nino shook the shirts and hissed, “ _dude!_ She’s going to be here soon.” His eyes were wide behind his glasses and Adrien laughed and took pity on him. 

“The blue. Green is more my color and I’m actually pretty sure that’s my shirt.”

Nino looked down at the shirt in question, seemingly realizing that he didn’t, in fact, own a green button-up. Shrugging, he quickly made his way back to the bathroom to change. Adrien chuckled and propped his feet up on the table. He had never seen Nino get so bent out of shape over a girl and, quite frankly, it was hilarious to watch. 

Nino poked his head out of the bathroom, toothpaste dribbling down his chin. 

“Oh, she’s also bringing her friend from the bakery,” he said, smirking as Adrien put his feet back on the floor and sat up ramrod straight, fiddling with his hair and smoothing his shirt down over his chest. 

“Okay,” he muttered as Nino retreated back into the bathroom. “That’s cool. No problem. I don’t have any reason to be nervous, I don’t know her.” 

Realizing that muttering to himself wasn’t exactly making him look sane, he shut up and quickly adopted a look of practiced nonchalance as Nino came back out of the bathroom, dressed and ready for the girls to show up. 

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door and Nino shot up from his seat like his ass was on fire, speed walking to the door and taking a deep breath before throwing it open. Adrien stood up and made his way over to greet their guests at a more relaxed pace. 

“Alya, hey,” Nino drawled, motioning for them to come inside. 

“Hey, yourself,” she said, walking in and taking off her jacket. “This is my girl, Marinette.” She stepped back, bringing the blue-eyed girl into view and Adrien suddenly felt like he had been sucker punched in the chest. He watched as Marinette shyly tucked her bangs behind her ear and smiled at Nino before turning the full force of her gaze onto Adrien. 

She bit her lip for a second and walked over to him. Nino and Alya faded into the background, everything else unimportant save for the dark haired beauty walking toward him. She stuck her hand out and smiled at him, showing a row of straight white teeth. 

“Hi, I’m Marinette.” Adrien grasped her hand with his own in a quick handshake, wondering if she felt the lightning shooting up her arm at the contact the way he did. 

If she did, she didn’t show it. 

“I’m-uh.” 

Fucked. Adrien was fucked. 

He was _so_ fucked. 

“I’m Adrien.” 

It was at this moment that Adrien remembered the name of the bride that had been promised to his father for him. _Marinette._

Did he mention that he was completely and absolutely _fucked?_

Marinette’s tongue darted out and she wet her lips as she looked around and Adrien fought to keep his manners in check. He was a gentleman. Yes, this girl was gorgeous and was already making his heart to weird things in his chest and she hadn’t even said _two words_ to his. But he was a gentleman and she was someone he was hoping to be at least friends with. 

Therefore, he would not pay attention to the way she bit her lip as she looked back up at him through her eyelashes. Instead, he gave her a warm smile and motioned for her to sit down on the couch with him. 

“So,” she started, smoothing her dress down and turning to him with a heart-stopping smirk. “Has Nino been as giddy about Alya as she has about him?” Adrien laughed, his nerves settling down as he already began to feel more comfortable. He pushed a hand through his hair and glanced over at the pair across the room, still engrossed in their conversation by the door. 

“He’s been insufferable. He ran around here like a chicken with his head cut off trying to get ready for you guys to come over. It’s been nonstop Alya-talk since we left your bakery yesterday.” 

Marinette giggled, leaning back against the arm of the couch and crossing one leg over the other. Adrien was sure to maintain careful eye contact. 

“Well, it’s nice to know that the infatuation isn’t one-sided. I’d hate to have to kick your boy’s ass,” she joked. Or, at least, he thought she was joking. Marinette was barely over 5 feet tall and looked about as intimidating as a cupcake but she was obviously toned and muscular and Adrien had a gut feeling that, once provoked, Marinette could be a force to be reckoned with. 

Either way, he chuckled and shook his head. 

“Oh, no. It’s definitely not one-sided.” 

There was another knock on the door and soon the room was filled with the smell of pepperoni and melted cheese. Adrien poured everyone a drink while Nino grabbed napkins. Alya plopped down on the small loveseat beside the couch, giving Nino a flirty smile when he settled in next to her. Adrien leaned back next to Marinette, who was picking the pepperonis off of her pizza and popping them into her mouth. 

They picked a movie, settling on a comedy, and Adrien spent the next two hours watching Marinette out of the corner of his eye, marvelling at the way her face lit up like the sun every time she laughed.


	4. Chapter 4

“I had fun tonight,” Marinette said, tucking her hair behind her ear and smiling up at Adrien. He leaned an arm against the wall and crossed one ankle over the other, returning her smile. 

“I did, too. We should all hang out together more often,” he replied. Marinette pulled out her phone, opening up her contacts and handing it over to him. 

“Put your number in there.” She waited a few seconds while he programmed his number in her phone and handed it back. She giggled when she saw the winking black cat emoji next to his name. “How long are you guys in Paris?” He rubbed the back of his neck with the hand that wasn’t supporting his weight against the wall and looked off to the side. 

“Um, indefinitely. We haven’t made any set plans as to when we’re leaving.” 

They heard a feminine giggle coming from the doorway and glanced over to see Nino and Alya saying their goodbyes. Alya looked over at Marinette, holding up her hand to signal that they were about to leave. Marinette looked back to meet Adrien’s eyes. 

“I guess that’s our cue,” she laughed, shaking her head fondly at her enamoured friend. She could see why Alya was so infatuated, though. Nino had shown himself to be a thoughtful, funny guy. He and Adrien had quickly made Marinette feel comfortable, dispelling any reservations she had had about coming to hang out with them. 

“They seem to have hit it off,” Adrien said, nodding over at their friends. Marinette looked at them and gave a soft smile. 

“I’m glad,” she said, still looking over at them. “He seems like a sweet guy.”

“Oh, Nino’s the best.” Her attention snapped back to Adrien as he spoke and she saw him looking over at his friend. “Honestly, I don’t know where I would be or what kind of person I would be if it wasn’t for him. He keeps me sane.”

“I know that feeling,” Marinette admitted. Adrien looked back at her, his bangs falling slightly into his eyes. She fought back the urge to reach up and brush the hair away. “Alya’s my rock. I’d be lost without her.”

“Hopefully they’ll be good for each other, then.” Adrien leaned towards her slightly, a goofy, lopsided grin on his face that Marinette found all too endearing. “And hopefully, I’ll be getting to see more of you, too.” She felt the tips of her ears heat up and hoped that the blush on her face wasn’t obvious. 

“I think we can arrange that.”

Alya appeared at her shoulder and tapped the back of her hand before saying goodbye to Adrien and walking a little ways down the hall to give them privacy. Marinette glanced back at her before turning to say goodbye. Losing the battle within herself, she reached up and gently brushed his bangs across his forehead, letting her fingers linger for a split second before returning her hand to the strap on her purse. Adrien stared at her, eyes wide and lips slightly parted. The urge to kiss him came out of nowhere and shocked her. She blinked and stepped back before she acted on it, turning towards Alya down the hall. 

She looked over her shoulder at him. “I’ll text you later.” Adrien straightened, standing up off the wall and hesitantly reaching out to put his hand on her shoulder. 

“Will you let me know that you guys got home safely?” He asked. Marinette smiled and nodded. He was incredibly sweet, and it made her heart do flips. Walking down the hall and linking arms with Alya, she felt his eyes on her until they turned a corner and out of sight. 

Once they were in the elevator, Alya let loose a squeal and turned to Marinette, bouncing on the balls of her feet. 

“Adrien was _so_ into you, girl,” she squealed, gripping Marinette’s arm like she would try to run away. Marinette felt herself flush and let out a breathy laugh. 

“Honestly, I was kind of into him,” she admitted. “But, I don’t have time to pursue a relationship. Tell me about you and Nino!” Alya’s face lit up and she launched into an animated recount of their evening. She gushed about the things he said and how _absolutely wonderful_ he was until they got back to the bakery, up the stairs, and into the apartment. 

Once Alya released Marinette to go to bed, the dark haired girl dragged herself to her own bedroom, kicking off her shoes and falling backwards into bed. She pulled out her phone and shot off a quick text to Adrien. 

**[We made it home safe and sound without being kidnapped.]**

She tapped her phone against her chin a couple of times, contemplating, before sending another message. 

**[I had a lot of fun tonight (:]**

Locking her phone and tossing it down on the bed, she hauled herself up to walk to the ensuite bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, pulling off her dress as she went. Once she changed into pajamas and crawled into bed, she checked the two new messages on her phone. 

_[Thank you for remembering to let me know. I would have been worried all night.]_

_[I had fun, too. I was kind of worried it would be awkward hanging out with someone I didn’t know.]_

Marinette smiled to herself and waved her hand overhead, effectively shutting off the bedroom light. 

**[So was I. I was hesitant about even coming to hang out with you guys since there was no real way to be sure you weren’t serial killers lol]**

Looking at the clock, she saw that it was nearly two in the morning. Marinette sighed and rolled onto her back, grateful that the bakery was closed the next day. Her phone buzzed and she unlocked it quickly, squinting against the bright light. 

_[I dunno. We may need to hang out some more so you can be extra sure :p]_

Marinette huffed out a laugh and rolled her eyes. She was about to reply when she saw that he was typing another message. The ellipses appeared and disappeared a few times, as if he was trying to figure out what to say. She waited, nervously anticipating his next message. 

_[What would you say to lunch tomorrow?]_

Marinette bit her lip against a smile. 

**[Just us?]** His reply was instant. 

_[Or it can be the four of us, if that makes you more comfortable (:]_

Marinette pondered for a minute. She really didn’t have the time to date right now, with her business and her designing on the side. But, she couldn’t deny that she wanted to spend more time with him. Besides, just because they went to lunch didn’t mean they were dating. What was the harm in two friends hanging out and getting to know each other better?

**[Just us is fine with me if you’re comfortable with that.]**

She quickly sent off the message before she could talk herself out of it. When his reply came through, she released a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. 

_[That’s purrfectly fine with me]_

The message was followed by a long line of smiling cat emojis and she giggled. 

**[Sounds good! Meet me at the bakery around 1?]**

_[I’ll be there!]_

_[Goodnight, sweet dreams (:]_

Marinette sent off a goodnight text of her own before plugging her phone in. Rolling back over onto her side and pulling her blanket tighter around herself, she drifted off to sleep, falling into a strange dream of black cats and princes.


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Adrien woke up surprisingly early considering he stayed awake squealing into his pillow like a thirteen year old for half an hour after he finished his conversation with Marinette the night before. If he wasn’t so happy, he’d probably have it in mind to be at least slightly embarrassed. As it was, he jumped up out of bed feeling more refreshed than he could ever remember and practically skipped to the bathroom to take a shower. 

Nino was awake when he stepped out of the bathroom, steam from the shower billowing out the door in front of him. He padded over to his bag and rummaged through his belongings for jeans and a t-shirt. 

“Where are you going?” Nino asked through a yawn as Adrien began getting dressed. 

“I’m going to lunch with Marinette.”

_That_ certainly got Nino’s attention. He fumbled around on the nightstand for his glasses and shot upright, eyebrows near his hairline and a smirk across his lips. 

“Ohh, a date?” He teased and Adrien kept his back turned, pretending to fiddle with his shoes as he felt his face heat up. 

“It’s not a date,” he mumbled. “Just two new friends going out to lunch to get to know each other better.” Although, he hoped it would lead to more in the future. 

“Do you think that this is the Marinette you’re supposed to marry?” Nino asked and Adrien whirled around to face him, eyes wide. _How had he forgotten about that?_

“I have no idea. Honestly, hanging out with her last night made me completely forget about that.” He ran his hand through his damp hair, causing it to stick up at odd angles. “Oh no, what if she _is?_ ” Nino tilted his head to the side, clear confusion plastered across his face. 

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing? At least you actually like this girl if you have to spend all of eternity with her and everything.” Adrien shook his head, paling and turning completely on the bed to face Nino, hands gripping his knees tightly as he sat on his heels.

“No, that would be terrible for so many reasons.” At Nino’s raised eyebrow, Adrien continued. “I like her. I don’t want to go in ruining any potential friendship or _more_ by telling her ‘hey, funny story. You and I are supposed to get married and neither of us really has a say in the matter. Pack your shit, time to go meet my overbearing asshat of a father.’” He explained, waving his hands around frantically to accentuate his point. 

“Yeah, I get that. But, you don’t have to bring that up now. You can get to know her better first, make sure she’s actually the right girl.” Nino’s words were intended to calm Adrien down. However, they only served to ramp his anxiety up a few more notches. 

“She’s the right girl. She _has_ to be! That explains everything. It felt like we had an instant connection; like we were destined to meet or something. And that’s because we _were!_ How do I know if I actually like her or if it’s just the magic fucking with my head and making me think that I feel things for her when I really don’t?” 

Adrien stumbled off of the bed, pulling at his hair and pacing. 

“What if I don’t actually like her? I knew I felt too comfortable with her. This is all just the magic, it’s an illusion. It isn’t real. Sure, I can be friends with her but we can’t be more than that. Any kind of real relationship would be based in a lie because our feelings are just caused by that stupid commitment her father made to mine. There’s a shit ton of magic involved in those things! This has to be part of that!”

Nino could see his friend was spiraling and slid off the bed, walking over to Adrien and stopping him with both hands planted firmly on his shoulders. 

“Dude, chill out,” Nino said, looking into Adrien’s panicked eyes. “Take a couple deep breaths for me, okay?” Adrien did as he was told and Nino turned him around and steered him over to sit on the couch. He settled on the table in front of him and waited for him to calm down. 

“Okay, I’m calm,” Adrien whispered, still looking frazzled but now less likely to throw himself bodily down a set of stairs. 

“Good. You,” Nino pointed at Adrien’s chest, “are going to go have lunch with a friend. There is nothing wrong with being friends with someone, it doesn’t have to go further than that if you don’t want it to. If you’re so concerned about fabricated feelings or whatever, then don’t bring it up. Point is, you like this girl, as just a friend or more. You did enjoy spending time with her last night, right?” 

Adrien nodded, nervously twisting the silver family ring on his finger. It couldn’t be taken off, as it was the item serving to tether him to his father but Adrien had a nervous habit of trying to pull it off anyway. 

“Okay, then,” Nino continued. “Then you’re going to go spend time with a girl you enjoy spending time with. Nothing is complicated about that. You’ve got this.” Adrien nodded, letting out a deep exhale and standing up, excitement beginning to fight off his nerves. 

“I’ve got this.”

 

Adrien did _not_ have this. 

The moment Marinette met him at the door in shorts and a Jagged Stone t-shirt, Adrien felt like he had been sucker punched right in the gut. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun and his fingers itched to take it down so he could run them through the dark strands. He shoved his hands in his pockets and rocked back on his heels, greeting her with what he hoped came across as a sincere smile. 

“Hey,” she greeted him brightly, shooting him a smile in return before turning to lock the bakery doors. 

“Hey,” he said, though it came out as more of a rasp and he nervously cleared his throat before trying again. “Hey.” She turned back to him and easily looped her arm through his, beginning to walk down the sidewalk. It seemed he wasn’t the only one who felt way more familiar with her than he had real reason to. 

“So,” she started, steering him around the few other people that littered the sidewalk. “Since you’re new here, I assumed you don’t really know all of the best places. I’m not sure if you had any particular place in mind, but I know a really good little hole-in-the-wall cafe a few blocks away.” Adrien stared goofily down at her, unable to ignore the warm feeling of her arm on his. She blinked big blue eyes up at him and he realized with a jolt that she was waiting for an answer. 

“That sounds good. You would know the best places to go better than I would so I’m going to trust you not to steer me wrong.” He was slightly amazed that he managed to get all of the words out and in the right order with her looking at him like _that_ and holding onto his arm, standing so close he could smell her shampoo and _oh God, he was fucked._

They made it to the cafe after just a few minutes walking and made their way to a table near the back before Marinette finally let go of his arm to take her seat. He instantly missed the warmth of her hand. They looked over the menu in silence for a few minutes before a waitress came over to take their order. When she left, Marinette looked up at Adrien and folded her hands on top of the table. 

“I come here with Alya all the time. The chicken sandwich is to die for,” she said, leaning back as the waitress quickly returned with their drinks, sitting them down on the table before disappearing again. 

“I can’t wait to try it. I’m starving,” Adrien said, taking the wrapper off of his straw and dropping it into his drink before taking a long swallow. 

“So, where are you from?” 

Adrien coughed, pulling the straw out of his mouth as he leaned back and choked on his drink. The question had caught him way off guard and he had no idea how to respond to it. 

_I’m from the Demon Realm. I’m the Prince, actually. Also, you are I are supposed to get married and I only just realized that this morning right before coming here. So, let’s go pack your bags, Princess._

“Oh, uh,” he started once his coughing fit subsided as Marinette looked on with wide-eyed concern. He rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully. “Nowhere in particular. I like to travel but I’m hoping I’ll be able to settle down here in Paris for a while.” Not technically a lie. He _did_ like to travel and he _was_ planning on staying for as long as he could. “Have you always lived in Paris?”

Marinette smiled and nodded, taking a small sip of her own drink before answering. 

“As long as I can remember. Travelling sounds nice but I don’t think I could be away from home for too long. I love it here.”

They got their food and yes, the chicken sandwich _was_ amazing. They fell into easy conversation as their lunch progressed, just as they had the previous night. As the laughs passed between them, Adrien felt his anxiety leave him little by little. He was still confused about whether or not what he was feeling was real or fabricated, but he had to admit that being around Marinette was easy. He felt like he had known her for years and the teasing banter flowed back and forth between them as natural as breathing. 

The waitress placed their check down on the table and Adrien grabbed it, only to have Marinette swiftly pluck it from between his fingers. 

“I’ve got it,” she said quickly, tossing him a wink and sauntering over to the counter to pay before he could protest, leaving Adrien to gape at her retreating back like a dying fish. He felt heat flood his face and tugged on the collar of his shirt. 

This girl was going to kill him. And he was already in so deep that he could do nothing but sit back and willingly let it happen. 

Hell, he’d probably thank her for it with his dying breath.

The two ended up spending most of the day together walking around the city with her taking him to all of her favorite spots. By the time Adrien got back to his hotel room, he was fairly certain that he was right. There was no way he could have feelings so strong for a girl he had only known two days. It _had_ to be the magic; there was no other explanation. It was a realization that, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, really disappointed him. 

His phone rang and he fished it out of his pocket, glancing down at the screen to see that his father’s assistant was calling him. He answered and pressed he phone against his ear. 

“Yeah?” 

“Prince Adrien,” the curt voice of Nathalie spoke from the other line. The connection was rough, having to reach between the two realms, but he could hear her well enough. “It has come to your father’s attention that you have found your bride. You are to return here with her as soon as possible.” With that, the call ended and Adrien groaned, dropping his arm back to his side and leaning his head against the wall. 

He was so _royally_ fucked.


	6. Chapter 6

Two weeks passed and Adrien and Marinette had only grown closer. 

Adrien avoided phone calls from his father and he could physically _feel_ his father’s anger growing with each passing day. He knew that it wouldn’t be long before the King took forceful action against him, but he couldn’t make himself leave Marinette. Whether his feelings were genuine or a result of the spell, they were undeniable. He wouldn’t act on them unless he knew for sure that they were real, but he couldn’t ignore them any longer. 

They had spend every free moment that Marinette wasn’t working by each others’ sides. Sometimes they hung out with Nino and Alya, who were now officially dating and doing fantastic, and sometimes they hung out alone. When they weren’t together, they texted back and forth. Adrien couldn’t remember a time in his life where he was so happy yet _so_ conflicted. 

King Gabriel’s anger presented itself in the form of a headache and Adrien groaned and rubbed his neck as the familiar ache began creeping along the base of his skull.

“You okay, man?” Nino asked from his place on the couch. He had the laptop open and was browsing apartments, looking for a place for the two of them to stay. Adrien sighed and leaned back, dropping his head onto the back of the couch. 

“My father,” he muttered, draping an arm over his eyes. 

“Ahh. Is Lord Dickwhistler throwing another hissy fit?” 

Adrien chuckled and nodded. 

“Oh, yeah. They’re getting more and more frequent. I don’t want to go back, and I don’t plan to, but I’m worried about what kind of action he’s going to take to force me.” Adrien felt Nino shift on the couch and peeked out from under his arm to see him turned towards him and looking contemplative. 

“Why don’t you just tell Marinette the deal? She’s a cool chick and she seems pretty understanding. I’m sure she would at least try to help come up with a solution.” Nino closed the laptop and sat it on the table to give Adrien his full attention. He knew this had been bothering the prince for a while now. Adrien covered his face with his hands and groaned. 

“I can’t do that. What if I tell her and that scares her off? She didn’t sign up for this,” he complained. Out of the corner of his eye, Adrien saw Nino give him an incredulous look. 

“Neither did you, dude.” 

As usual, Nino had a point. But that didn’t make Adrien feel any better. 

“I know,” Adrien sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “But this is my problem. If someone came up to me and told me they were royalty and we were supposed to get married whether we wanted to or not, I’d haul ass in the opposite direction.” 

Nino got up, walking over to the mini fridge and grabbing two beers. Sitting back down, he handed one to Adrien before speaking. 

“You like Marinette, though. I’d even go as far to say that you’re beginning to love her. And I know that she’s really into you, too.” Adrien popped the top off of the glass bottle and took a swig, sighing forcefully through his nose. 

“I don’t know that, though. How much of my feelings are real and how much are a result of the stupid spell?” Nino groaned and rolled his eyes. 

“Not this again,” he mumbled. Adrien glared at him and Nino narrowed his eyes back and took a swallow of his drink. “Look, man. I think you should just tell her. You aren’t proposing to her or telling her to marry you. Just tell her who you are and the issues that might come up. This affects her, too.”

Adrien sighed and looked at the floor. He hated when Nino was right. He checked the time and saw that Marinette would be closing up the bakery any minute so he sent off a text. 

_[Hey, can we meet up tonight? I have some things I really need to tell you.]_

He showed the message to Nino, who nodded in approval and patted him on the shoulder. 

“She’s going to understand. Avoiding the truth is just going to make things worse. I’m supposed to go meet up with Alya; she went to visit her parents today. Are you okay if I go?” Adrien nodded and gave Nino a grateful smile. He knew that if he asked, Nino would cancel his plans and stay with him all night. 

Adrien was a big boy, though. He would be fine without his best friend babysitting him. Nino gathered his things and left a short time later. The dull ache in the back of Adrien’s skull became harder to ignore and he knew that no amount of painkillers would make it go away. 

He knew that his father was doing this on purpose. He was deliberately trying to make the pain so unbearable that Adrien would do anything to make it stop, even if that meant coming home. He had never outright defied his father before but, the longer Adrien was away, the more he realized that he truly didn’t want to be King. Adrien didn’t want to take his father’s place. He had no desire to be a ruler that was feared and that was cruel with a bride that had been forced into submission. 

King Gabriel expected Adrien to bring Marinette back to the palace and train her to be a meek, submissive wife. His father expected Adrien to mold her into the image of a perfect and dutiful Princess which doted on his every word. 

But, Adrien didn’t want a woman like that. Marinette was strong and witty. She was feisty and confident. Marinette played by her own rules and wasn’t going to roll over and let somebody boss her around like that. He wanted Marinette as she was; he never wanted to change her. 

Adrien jumped as his phone rang and he swiped it up off the table, only to be disappointed when he saw that it was Nathalie calling him again. With a growl, he rejected the call and opened up his conversation with Marinette. 

He hadn’t heard from her since that morning. He supposed it must have been a busy day at the bakery. Of course, he had sent her little messages throughout the day, the occasional cat meme and a few jokes to hopefully make her laugh. Checking the time again, Adrien furrowed his brow. The bakery should have closed half an hour ago. Marinette usually responded as soon as she had a free hand.

He held tight to his phone, heart pounding in his chest in anticipation of the confession he was about to make as he waited for a message that never came.


	7. Chapter 7

To say that Marinette was having a shitty day would be the understatement of the century. 

First, she overslept and was late opening the bakery. By the time she got everything prepared and unlocked the door, she had a line of grumpy customers giving her an attitude about making them wait. Nevermind the fact that they could have just gone somewhere else. Why would they do that when they could wait just so they could bitch at her?

Then, she had dropped an entire tray of proofed bread when she tried to put it in the oven. So, she was short on bread for the day and had to clean sticky dough off of the floor. Alya had taken the day off well in advance to go spend the day with her parents, and Marinette wasn’t going to cut her family time short by calling her in for help. Even though she desperately needed it.

She hadn’t had the chance to talk to Adrien all day and, though his random messages throughout the day did make her smile when she had a second to check her phone, she missed him. When she finally locked the bakery doors for the day, she had been looking forward to texting him to see if they could hang out. 

Life, it seems, had other plans. Those plans involved her being snatched out of her own bedroom, tied up, blindfolded, and knocked out with a needle to her arm. 

When Marinette came to, there was a pounding in her skull and her cheek was pressed against a purple silk duvet. She pushed herself off of her stomach onto her elbows and squinted blearily around the room. The walls were made of grey stone and the floor was black marble. There was a wardrobe on the far side of the room and a tall window looking out at the dark sky. 

She was trying to piece together what had happened and where she was when the door opened and a petite blonde in a short yellow dress walked in and crossed her arms, looking down her nose at Marinette. 

“Oh, good. You’re up,” the blonde said, sounding bored. Marinette jerked upright, sliding off the bed and stumbling back against the wall, fighting to stay on her feet against a wave of vertigo. The blonde hurried into the room and steadied Marinette by placing a hand on her elbow. 

“Who are you?” Marinette asked, pulling her arm away and steadying herself on the bed. The blonde huffed out a sigh and put her hands on her hips. 

“My name is Chloe. King Gabriel sent me to retrieve you,” she answered curtly. Marinette held up a hand and took a deep breath as memories came back to her. She had been ambushed in her home as soon as she had opened her bedroom door. “Don’t panic, nobody here wants to hurt you.” Chloe said, cutting off Marinette’s sharp inhalation that was no doubt the beginning of a scream. 

Marinette forced herself to calm down and looked over at Chloe, who was looking at her with a scrunched up nose and a twisted mouth. 

“Where am I?” She asked, sounding much stronger than she felt. Chloe sighed and rolled her eyes. 

“Look, I don’t have all day. The King told me to come get you, so we need to get our asses in gear before he gets pissed.” She grabbed Marinette’s arm and started pulling her towards the door, walking at a brisk pace that had Marinette fighting to keep up. “You’re in the Demon Realm, I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Adrikins was taking too long to bring you back, so his asshat of a father decided to take things into his own hands and bring you here himself.”

Nothing Chloe said was making sense. Yes, Marinette had heard of the Demon Realm, but why was she here. And what did Adrien have to do with it? Marinette assumed that’s who Chloe was referring to, anyway. 

They walked down a long, dimly lit corridor lined with several closed doors. 

“The Demon Realm? Why am I here?” Marinette asked, trying to stop walking only to stumble forward as Chloe pressed on. The blonde looked at Marinette out of the corner of her eye and huffed in annoyance. Again. 

“King Gabriel will explain everything to you. He’s not going to, like, kill you or anything. I don’t really know much more than that.” 

Marinette’s mind was reeling. The girls came to a tall, black painted door and Chloe turned to Marinette and looked her over. 

“Just...try to keep your mouth shut. Be agreeable. Be respectful. Don’t make him mad and things should be fine,” she said. Marinette supposed that Chloe was trying to be helpful and reassuring, but her delivery definitely needed some work. Her stomach rolled and she felt like she was going to puke right in the middle of the hallway. Breathing carefully through her nose, she turned and felt Chloe put a hand on her back and push her inside the large, imposing room to stumble and fall onto her hands and knees in front of the throne. 

The King looked down at Marinette with an expression so unreadable it may well have been carved from the same stone that made up the walls of the palace. Marinette’s eyes darted about the room, looking for ways to escape and noticing that guards stood at both of the doors in the room. She was trapped. 

“So, you are Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” the King said, his voice cutting through the air like glass. Marinette dragged her eyes up to face the man that had arranged for her to be kidnapped with open disdain. 

“Yes. But, you already know that,” she snapped, crossing her arms and rising to her feet, straightening her spine. She would not let this man see how terrified she really was. She had half a mind to use her magic to try and escape, but she needed to be in a clear state of mind to do anything remotely powerful and she wasn’t sure what these people were capable of themselves. 

“I would advise that you speak to me with respect,” King Gabriel snapped, looking over his glasses at her. 

“Sorry,” Marinette said, raising an eyebrow. “But, I won’t pretend to have any respect for kidnappers.” The sides of the King’s mouth pulled down in a scowl, the first human expression she had seen on the man thus far. 

“I see that you have a very strong spirit,” he said, disgust dripping from his words. “Don’t worry, that will be taken care of rather quickly.” Marinette rolled her eyes. 

“Care to tell me why I’m here? I don’t suppose you want me to make you cookies.” 

Gabriel’s eye twitched and he took a deep breath to steady himself. Marinette’s heart was threatening to pound its way right out of her chest, but she stood her ground. 

“Oh, so you aren’t aware. It figures that my son wouldn’t have told you,” he muttered. Marinette furrowed her eyebrows. “About a month before you were born, your father came to me for a deal. He offered you, his firstborn daughter, to be married to the Prince, my son, in exchange for power. He was a wizard, albeit a very weak one. I granted him this exchange and have been biding my time, waiting for you to come of age so that his end of the bargain would be held up.”

Marinette felt ice run through her veins and her heart fell to the floor. She dropped her arms to her side and looked around, looking for any kind of reasonable explanation to all of this. 

“I never met my father,” Marinette said. “I was adopted when I was two years old.” The King nodded, uncaring. 

“Yes, your biological father thought he could hide you, the fool. The power went to his head and, once your mother discovered the deal he had made, he killed her and then put you up for adoption.” 

The world tilted on its axis and Marinette barely managed to stay upright. Her pulse pounded in her ears. The King continued. 

“My son, Adrien, was sent to find and retrieve you so that the two of you could be married. However, he has taken long enough. I see now that I should never have let him handle such a task on his own.”

Adrien…

Adrien had known about this and he hadn’t told her? Their meeting wasn’t an accident, after all. He had _lied_ to her. He had pretended to be her friend so that he could, what? Lure her here? Was he hoping to make her fall in love with him so that she would put up less of a fight? 

It may have worked. She _had_ been falling for him and it was all a lie.

Marinette was lost in a maelstrom of emotion and hardly registered Chloe coming back in to escort her back to her room. She moved blindly through the door and to the bed. She stared, unseeing, at the wall as Chloe gave her a concerned glance before shutting the door and leaving her by herself. 

She sank down to the floor, wrapping her arms around her knees. 

Her father had traded her life away like it meant _nothing_. He had killed her mother. Marinette had been fortunate to be adopted by two incredibly loving parents, but knowing what had happened to her birth parents ripped into her more than she thought it would. 

And Adrien..

Iit had all been a lie. He didn’t care about her, not really. He was probably raised knowing about her, knowing that he would get married to her. Had he thought that pretending to be her friend would make things easier? 

Tears slid freely down Marinette’s face and she curled in on herself. She had been falling for him, even though she tried not to. Her chest ached with a sharp, physical pain that spread throughout her body with each beat of her heart. 

She allowed herself time to break down. She cried until the tears stopped coming. Her eyes were swollen and she was left with choked, dry sobs. 

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she stood up on deadend legs and limped over to the bathroom to wash her face. Moving on autopilot, she took stock of her surroundings, yanking down the curtain rod to twirl in her hands, getting a feel for her new weapon. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, holding tight to the metal in her fist. She felt the magic flow from her palm to the rod, strengthening it and charming it to hit its mark. 

Opening her eyes, she looked around the room again. Everything else was bare and unusable to her, so she zipped up her jacket and tiptoed towards the door. Marinette tested the doorknob, holding back a cheer when she found that it was unlocked. Cracking open the door, she peered out into the dark hallway. Everything was quiet, save for the sounds from what sounded like the kitchen staff a good ways away. 

Slipping out the door, she ran as quietly as she could down the hall, stopping at every corner to check her surroundings. Marinette was going to get herself out of here and then _dammit_ , she wanted some answers.


	8. Chapter 8

Adrien was startled awake by frantic pounding on the hotel room door. He jolted awake, rolling off the couch and onto the floor. 

When had he fallen asleep? A quick glance out the window showed that it was dark, likely the middle of the night. Rubbing his eyes, he blearily stumbled over to the door and yanked it open. Alya tumbled inside, eyes wide and panicked. Nino stumbled out of bed at the sight of his girlfriend and rushed over. 

“Babe, what’s going on?” He asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked between the two boys, eyes shining. 

“Marinette is missing.” 

 

Adrien considered himself to be a pretty even-tempered guy. He tried to keep his cool in even the worst situations. Despite the fact that he was a miserable person deep down, Adrien tried to always look on the positive side of things. 

However, that was before Marinette went missing. 

As soon as the words left Alya’s mouth, Adrien’s entire world turned on its head. He felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over him. As they made their way with Alya back to the girls’ home, Adrien felt an almost murderous rage take hold of him. 

Marinette was missing and he was pretty sure he knew who was behind it. 

Clenching his fists, he looked around Marinette’s room. Nothing seemed to be out of place, but he knew better than to think that she left of her own accord. He shared a look with Nino and the shapeshifter nodded. Alya, who was tucked under his arm, looked between the two in confusion. 

“Don’t worry, Alya. We’ll get Marinette back,” he said, turning to walk to the living room. Her and Nino followed. 

“How do you know what happened?” She asked, eyes wide. Adrien sighed and ran a hand through his hair, glancing at Nino again. 

“She deserves to know, man,” was all he said. Alya crossed her arms. 

“I deserve to know _what?_ ”

Adrien bit his lip and prepared himself for the inevitable backlash from Marinette’s best friend and self-proclaimed bodyguard. 

“I think she was kidnapped by my father. Or, more specifically, by my father’s henchmen.”

Alya raised an eyebrow and spluttered. 

“ _Henchmen?_ This isn’t a James Bond movie! What the hell are you talking about?” 

Nino sighed and led Alya to the couch, sitting beside her and grasping her hand in his own. 

“Babe, this is going to be hard to hear and it probably won’t make much sense. But you have to let Adrien tell you everything and remember that we care about Marinette and will do whatever it takes to get her back. Can you do that for me?” Alya looked at him through narrowed eyes and hesitantly nodded. They turned to Adrien, who sat on the coffee table facing them. 

“Okay. So, my name is Adrien Agreste and I’m the Prince of the Demon realm,” he started, words tumbling out in a rush. Alya’s eyes widened, eyebrows shooting up to her hairline. Adrien stood and started pacing around the room, deciding that this was not a story to tell while sitting down. He continued.

“My father is the Demon King, I’m sure you put that much together. Obviously my father is the king if I’m the prince. Right, anyway. A few weeks ago, he basically told me that some girl was promised to him by her father for some kind of deal. This girl was supposed to marry me when we both came of age so that I could become King. I didn’t know anything about this deal until he told me. Then, he sent me here to find her.” 

Adrien shoved a hand through his hair again, his words coming faster and bordering on panicked. 

“I didn’t know anything about her other than her first name. It was pure coincidence that we met you and Marinette on our first night here. I was supposed to come get her and bring her back, whether she wanted to or not. But, I can’t do that. I’m not like my father I don’t even _want_ to be King. I was hoping that the Marinette I’m supposed to marry was a different girl with the same name because I really like Marinette and I didn’t want to ruin things by telling her about all of this.” 

Adrien plopped back down on the table, looking at Alya’s bewildered face. 

“I didn’t plan to go back until I had to. And I had _no_ intentions of taking Marinette with me when I went back. Nobody should be forced into marriage. But now it seems like my father is tired of waiting and decided to take matters into his own hands and sent people for her _knowing_ that I would come to get her.” 

Nino spoke up, then. 

“Adrien can’t just disappear and tell King Twatwaffle to shove it, either. When Adrien was a baby, his father had a binding spell placed on him by a powerful witch so that he would basically always have Adrien under his control. He’s been ignoring him this long, but it’s been causing him pain. And he’s only been able to ignore him for this long because of the distance between the Realms, but he won’t be able to keep it up forever.” 

Adrien leaned forward and took Alya’s limp hands in his, looking deep into her eyes. 

“You have to know that I never wanted this for Marinette. If I had even thought that he would do this, I would have gone back myself. I don’t know if the feelings I have for her are real or if they’re because of the magic that ties us together but, regardless, the feelings are there and I would rather die than have anything happen to her.” 

Adrien closed his eyes and let go of Alya, cringing. He expected yelling. He expected her to hit him or throw him out. He expected her to cuss him out for all he was worth. 

He didn’t expect Alya’s gentle touch on his shoulder. He flinched before opening his eyes to see her staring at him, not a trace of anger or malice in her gaze. 

“I believe you,” she murmured. She glanced at Nino. “I believe both of you.” Adrien gaped at her and she pulled her hand back and fidgeted. “Look, you obviously care about her. Anybody with a working set of eyes and half of a working brain can see that much. And I don’t think you have a mean or decietful bone in your body, Sunshine.” 

Adrien let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, relief washing over him. 

“Thank you,” he whispered. 

“How are we going to get Marinette back?” She asked, standing. Adrien and Nino whipped their gazes toward her. 

_“We?”_ They asked in unison. Alya rolled her eyes and put her hand on her hip. 

“Yes, _we._ You don’t honestly think I’m going to sit at home with my thumb up my ass while my best friend is God-knows-where.” 

Nino looked at Adrien, who shrugged. She was right; they shouldn’t have expected any less. 

“Okay,” Adrien said. “Do you have any chalk?” Alya was visibly thrown off guard by the question, but went and retrieved a small chunk of white chalk from Marinette’s room anyway. Adrien pushed back the table and kicked the rug out of the way, clearing a large space in the middle of the floor and got down on his knees. 

“What the hell are you doing?” Alya asked, watching as Adrien drew a series of seemingly random symbols in a circle on the floor. Nino wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her out of the way. 

“Have you ever heard about people summoning demons and stuff?” He asked. Adrien finished his circle and moved to draw in the center. Alya nodded. “This is...the opposite of that.” 

Finished with his work, Adrien stood and tossed the chalk on the table, wiping his hands on his jeans. 

“Alya, being a normal human in the Demon Realm can be dangerous. You need to stay with one of us at all times. Do you understand?” Adrien turned to look at her. She nodded resolutely. “Good. Step into the circle and grab my hand.” She stepped in between Nino and Adrien and they linked hands. 

“Ready?” Adrien asked. She nodded again, taking a deep breath to steady herself. “This is going to be a little uncomfortable.”


	9. Chapter 9

Marinette could see the door to the castle several feet in front of her from where she sat huddled against the wall. Two men guarded the door, one large man that looked vaguely like the lovechild between a human and a gorilla and another, smaller man that was tall but had a more athletic build. Tightening her grip on the curtain rod, she muttered a spell under her breath. 

She had never tried a cloaking spell before, but she supposed now was the best time to try it. She felt the familiar tingling of magic washing over her and she rose from her hiding place. Cloaking wouldn’t render her completely invisible, but it would alter the perception of anyone who looked at her. So long as they didn’t look too close, she would be safe. She kept close to the wall, treading lightly as she made her way around the grand entrance toward the smaller man. 

She got within a few feet of him and he started, glancing around the room. Marinette held her breath and stood perfectly still. His eyes roamed over her briefly, but she remained unseen. He turned to look at the other side of the room and Marinette leapt into action. Dropping the cloaking spell, she brought her hands up and swiftly brought the metal rod down on the man’s head with all of the strength she could muster and he crumpled. 

Brandishing her weapon in both hands in front of her, Marinette stepped back and set her eyes on the Gorilla man. He looked at her with mild shock and turned, spurring Marinette to raise the curtain rod to strike again. He grunted at her and reached for the door, opening it and waving his hand to the side looking as if being attacked by a girl a third of his size was above his pay grade. She lowered the bar and squinted at him, taking timid steps toward the door. When he made no move to stop her, she slipped outside. 

“Um,” she said, turning to face the man. “Thank you.” He acknowledged her with another grunt and motioned for her to go with a tilt of his head. Not waiting to be told twice, Marinette turned and ran into the thick fog. 

Marinette ran until her lungs burned from lack of oxygen, and then she forced herself to continue until she collapsed on the cold ground. Heaving in gulps of air, she took a look at her surroundings. Thick grey fog prevented her from seeing more than a few feet in front of her, but she could see faint human-shaped shadows moving through it. The ground beneath her fingers was cracked, the grass dead and grey. 

_“Marinette…”_ the fog whispered to her. No, it wasn’t the fog. _“Marinette...Marinette...MARINETTE!”_

Shadowy hands reached out to her from the fog and her eyes widened in fear as the shadows got closer, crowding around her. With a gasp, Marinette jumped to her feet and took off running once again, causing the shadows to dissipate into the air as she charged through them. She felt light tugging on her clothes and hair and batted her hands around her head, hearing a dull clatter as the curtain rod fell to the ground behind her.

“Leave me alone,” she cried, her heart racing. The whispering became louder, more insistent, as her feet pounded against the dry, cracked ground. 

Faces, distorted and broken, peered out at her from the fog. They reminded Marinette of a broken porcelain doll, cracked and vacant. Unfeeling and inhuman. She ran blindly, desperately trying to get away from the creatures calling out to her. 

Marinette pressed forward for what felt like hours before she tripped over a tree root and pitched forward. Throwing her hands out to catch herself, she slid to a stop at the base of a very large, grey tree. Her hands stung and she pulled them closer to her face to inspect the damage. Dirt and small rocks were embedded into her skin and long, red scrapes ran along both palms. Blood started to bead up on the heels of her hands and she tucked them against her sides, wincing. 

The fog was thinner around the tree that she huddled under and the whispering creatures stayed at the edge of where it was thickest, farther from her now. Pulling her knees up to her chest, Marinette leaned back against the gnarled trunk of the tree and felt hot tears rolling down her face once again. 

 

“Ugh. Fuck. What the hell?” Alya grumbled, shaking her arms out as she stood in Adrien’s bedroom in the palace. Nino and Adrien shot her apologetic smiles, shaking the tingles out of their own limbs. 

“I warned you,” Adrien said, cringing. Nino rubbed her back, shaking out his own legs. 

“That was terrible. Where are we now?” She asked, slowly starting to recover. Adrien gestured around the vaguely. 

“My bedroom,” he said. 

The room itself was huge, but lacked the warmth and comfort of a normal bedroom. The walls were bare, the space immaculate and clean. There were no personal touches around the room, save for a jacket draped over the desk chair. Alya looked around, feeling horribly out of place. 

“Cozy,” she muttered, wrapping her arms around herself. “Marinette is here, then?”

“If Adrien’s dad took her, she’s somewhere in the palace,” Nino said, shaking the last of the tingles out of his hands. Adrien nodded and strode towards the door. 

“Stay close,” he said over his shoulder. He led them towards the main room, where he suspected he would find his father. However, crossing through the entryway, he saw guards frantically running around. 

Adrien came to a stop in the middle of the room, crossing his arms over his chest and standing tall, his mouth pulled into a scowl that looked frighteningly similar to his father’s. The guards froze when they caught sight of him and, one by one, dropped down to a knee with their right fists over their hearts, heads bowed. 

He heard Alya’s sharp intake of air behind him but kept his steely glare directed towards the group of guards before him. 

“Where is Marinette?” He asked, voice echoing off the walls. 

“The girl is among the Lost Souls now,” his father answered from behind them. Adrien whirled around and moved to position himself between his father and his friends. 

“You sent her out there?” Adrien seethed, hands clenched into fists as his father regarded him cooly. He sensed movement behind him and suspected that the guards were clearing out, not wanting to witness the standoff between father and son. 

“Don’t be foolish,” the King said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down his nose at his son. “She escaped and went out there of her own accord. It’s all for the best, however. She would have made a terrible Princess.” 

And just like that, Adrien snapped.

He briefly heard Nino whisper _‘oh shit’_ behind him but paid no mind as he made his way towards his father, wrapping his hand around the smaller man’s throat. 

As the Prince, Adrien had the power of destruction, which he could call on at will. He didn’t use it often, as it always made him feel sick afterwards, but he could easily destroy whatever he touched when he called on his power. 

Unfortunately, his power was ineffective against the King. 

“Stop throwing your tantrum,” Gabriel said, unruffled even as his son held him against the wall. He knew as well as Adrien did that the Prince couldn’t actually kill him. 

“When did she leave?” Adrien growled through his teeth. His pulse raced and he could feel the destructive power dancing just under his skin. The King rolled his eyes. 

“Nearly half an hour ago. Surely, the Souls have taken her as their own by now. Quit this foolishness this instant.” Adrien felt his hand release his father, no longer under his own control, and he stepped back, chest heaving. “We have important matters to discuss. Since you failed to bring that girl under control, I have chosen a new bride for you. Chloe.”

The blonde member of the palace stepped into the room, frowning, and Adrien glanced over at her. They had been friends since childhood and Adrien loved her dearly, but he knew as well as she did that he had no intentions of ever marrying her. His father, though, didn’t seem to be aware of that, nor did he seem to care. 

“We will discuss this more over dinner, once you’ve gotten your emotions under control.”

As Gabriel turned on his heel and walked out of the room, Adrien glared daggers into his back. 

Once the King was safely out of earshot, Nino and Alya timidly came up behind him. 

“Adrien,” Chloe whispered, glancing around before stepping closer. “I think I know where she went.”

“You’re actually going to help?” Nino asked incredulously. Chloe wasn’t exactly known for her helpful nature and sunny disposition, after all. She rolled her eyes at him and flicked her hair over her shoulder. 

“Of course. I’m nice,” she replied, as if it was obvious. “But, seriously. I have no desire to marry you, Adrikins. It’s obvious that you love this girl if you were willing to try to choke out your douchebag daddy over her.”

“I don’t--” Adrien began weakly, but Chloe held up her hand. 

“Shut up. I’m not oblivious. Besides, I love someone, too, or whatever. And I want to get out of here with you guys.”


	10. Chapter 10

Taking a deep breath, Marinette stood and braced her back against the tree as she saw a figure emerging from the fog. The other shadows had kept their distance, seemingly unable to get to her, but they still called her name. The wispy figure of a woman moved toward her out of the fog and Marinette held her hands up in front of her. 

“Please,” she whispered, “just leave me alone.” 

The woman held out a hand, palm up as if to show that she wasn’t a threat. As she moved closer, Marinette could see that she was wearing a long black dress and had dark hair that fell in a sheet around her shoulders. 

_“Marinette, my love,”_ she whispered. A strange sense of calm washed over Marinette and she dropped her hands, squinting at the woman with her head tilted to the side. _“I mean you no harm…”_

“Who are you?” Marinette asked, her voice shaking. The woman stopped several feet short of Marinette, though she was close enough for her to see the woman’s distinct asian features. 

_“Marinette, darling,”_ her voice floated to her through the air, soft and soothing. _“You are unsafe here. You must leave this place.”_ Marinette’s eyes darted around her surroundings, but she didn’t take her sights off of the woman for too long. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly. 

“I don’t know how to get back home,” she admitted, drawing her shoulders up around her ears. The shadows in the fog around her stirred restlessly, but their whispering had quieted as soon as the woman before her started speaking. 

_“You cannot leave this place alone,”_ she said, taking a step closer. Marinette pushed herself further back into the tree. _“You must wait for the Prince. Only those with royal blood may pass through this Realm freely.”_

The thought of Adrien felt like a spike through Marinette’s chest. It was his fault that she was here. If what the King said was true, and she had no reason to believe otherwise, then he would keep her here and she would be forced to marry him. 

“The Prince isn’t going to let me leave,” Marinette said, voice thick around the lump that had formed in her throat. “He’s going to force me to marry him.” She fought to choke down a sob. Marinette had cried more in the past twenty-four hours than she had in a month, it was time to buck up and take care of herself. 

The woman in the white dress finally made her way to Marinette and sat down on the ground, motioning for Marinette to join her. Sitting down and pulling her knees to her chest, she wiped her nose on her sleeve. 

“Who are you?” She asked. The woman gave her a solemn smile. 

_“You were too young to remember me. But I will always remember you, Marinette. My beautiful daughter.”_ Marinette sat up straight and crossed her legs in front of her. 

“You’re my birth mom?” She asked, a strange feeling in her chest. She had never had any real desire to seek out her birth parents. Tom and Sabine had been the best parents she could have ever asked for and she had never felt like she was missing something. The thought had crossed her mind a few times while growing up, but they had never been persistent enough to act on. The woman nodded. 

_“I cannot speak to you very long,”_ she said. Her voice still sounded like it was floating over the air, even though she was sitting only two feet away from Marinette, who was hanging on her every word. _“You are a very powerful witch, Marinette. The most powerful natural witch of the Human Realm. You must practice and hone your skills. Unlock the great power that lives within you. Trust in the Prince, for he is your true other half; the Creation to his Destruction. His power balances yours and the two of you will soon be up against a great threat.”_

Marinette opened her mouth to ask...anything. Nothing her mother said made any sense. She wasn’t powerful, she was fairly ordinary. Before she could voice her concerns, however, her mother dissipated into the fog and left her alone with the shadows calling out to her once again. 

\----

Adrien strode through the door of the palace and marched through the fog with the single-minded determination of a man on a mission with Nino, Alya, and Chloe trailing behind him. The fog parted to let them through and the Lost Souls hovered silently at the edge of the mist, watching. Alya let out a muffled curse as she took in their shadowy audience and he felt her move closer to his back. 

“Stay close, they won’t mess with you as long as you’re with me,” Adrien said through clenched teeth. Looking ahead, he didn’t see Marinette anywhere but he refused to believe that she had been taken by the Souls. Marinette was tough; if anyone could survive this place, it was her. 

Adrien stopped abruptly, unmoving as his three friends ran into his back. Huffing out in frustration, he shoved his hand through the fog and wrapped his fingers around the nearest shadow. Yanking hard, he pulled the figure into the clearing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw each of his friends looking on in horror. 

The faces of the Souls weren’t for the weak of heart. With blank and broken faces like a broken doll’s, they jerked as they moved like puppets on strings. The one standing in front of him had vacant eyes, cracks over her cheekbones, and a hole on the right side where her jaw should be. Stringy patches of red hair hung down in front of her face. 

Adrien jerked her forward by the front of her ragged dress and leaned close. 

“Marinette. I know you saw her, where did she go?” He asked harshly. The Soul made a wheezing noise and regarded them with her dull grey eyes, her gaze locking in on Alya. She wheezed again, louder, and tried to lurch forward but Adrien held fast, shaking her with a growl. “Answer me before I turn you to dust where you stand,” he snarled. 

The Lost Soul gurgled and lifted a grey arm covered in thin cracks to point behind her, in the direction they were heading. 

_“She stays by the Tree of Salvation,”_ she whispered, mouth never moving as she continued to lock eyes with Alya. Satisfied with the answer, Adrien unceremoniously shoved the creature back into the fog. The other shadows around them stirred restlessly at the intrusion, but remained silent. 

“What was that thing?” Alya whispered as they set off again. Adrien felt her hanging on to the back of his shirt. 

“Lost Souls,” he explained. “Those who aren’t fit to enter the Realm of Angels after death are sent here to roam. Some of them act as vessels for demons, but they are powerless unless they are summoned.” Alya’s grip on his shirt tightened. “They can’t move out of the fog on their own. Only the ones that were sent here despite being pure of heart can move freely and those are few and far between.” 

“They’re absolutely horrifying to look at,” Chloe said, disgusted. Nino and Alya murmured their agreement. “Warn somebody next time you’re going to yank one out into the open like this, would you?”

Adrien didn’t respond, too lost in his own thoughts as he strode forward. As long as Marinette stayed underneath the Tree, she would be safe. He could only hope that they would get to her before she decided to set off on her own again.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long. I've been struggling with my mental health lately and also my little ones have been going through a clingy and whiny "mommy, hold me 24/7 while I scream at you" phase so my writing had to be put on the back burner for a bit. Hopefully, I'm back and will try to be posting regular updates again. Thank ya'll so much for being patient with me.

When Adrien found Marinette, she was less than thrilled. 

They found her huddled under the tree and when she saw them approaching, she jumped to her feet and pointed an accusing finger at Adrien, eyes narrowed and her lip curled in disgust.

_“You,”_ she spat, looking very much like she would prefer taking her chances with the Lost Souls than have him anywhere near her. The thought that she could hate him so easily made his shoulders drop as he held his hands up in front of him in a peaceful gesture.

“Marinette, I only want to get you out of here,” he said, coming to a stop at the edge of the clearing. Alya stepped out from behind him and Marinette’s eyes blew wide. 

“Alya, get away from him,” she said, her voice shaking in anger or fear, Adrien couldn’t tell but he figured it was a mix of both. Alya stepped towards her best friend and put a hand on her shoulder. 

“Look, Marinette, I know everything. We came here to bring you home,” she said. Marinette whirled on Adrien again. 

“You brought Alya here?!” Her voice echoed, causing a rustle among the shadows. “What, is this part of your plan to keep me here?” Adrien took a step forward, but stopped when Marinette stepped back. 

“Marinette, I know what my father said but you have to believe me when I say I never intended to bring you back here.” She gave a sharp laugh and crossed her arms, stepping around Alya to face him directly. 

“Believe _you?_ You lied to me. You befriended me to try to lure me into a false sense of security so you could trap me in this crazy arranged marriage!” Marinette’s face was turning red, she clenched her hands into fists to keep them from shaking. 

“That was never my intention,” Adrien sighed, running his hand through his hair. His desire to reduce his father to a pile of ash intensified by the second. “My plan was to break the spell my father has on me so that I could stay in your world.”

Marinette scoffed and rolled her eyes, obviously unwilling to believe a single word that was coming out of his mouth. Adrien sighed and looked behind him to Nino, who shrugged and looked just as helpless as Adrien felt. 

“Look,” Chloe started, stepping out from behind Adrien, who braced himself for whatever she was about to say. “Adrien’s daddy is a complete and total asshat, we all know this. But Adrien doesn’t have a malicious bone in his beautiful body. He obviously loves you so can we just stop this nonsense and get the hell out of here? He wants to take you back home, I don’t know what you’re so snippy about.” 

Adrien closed his eyes, turned his face up to the sky, and let out a longsuffering sky. Chloe just had to bring his questionable feelings into it. As much as Adrien wanted to believe that he genuinely loved Marinette, he couldn’t be sure. Besides, one look at her face told him that she basically hated his guts now so, either way, it was a moot point.

“Fine,” Marinette said and his eyes flew open, settling on her face. She was hugging herself, huddled close to Alya and looking anywhere but at him. “Just get me out of here and then we can finish this.” 

Chloe flipped her hair and patted Adrien on the shoulder. 

“You heard the girl. Get us out of here, this fog is ruining my hair.” 

Adrien blinked. Had it really been that easy? One look at Marinette’s face told him no, this still wasn’t over. But, at least she would wait to yell at him until they all got out of this place. 

“Um, okay,” he mumbled, moving to the middle of the clearing. Marinette retreated closer to the tree as he came near, but he tried not to let it bother him as he crouched down to pick up a rock and started drawing symbols on the cracked ground. He heard Alya quietly explaining to Marinette what he was doing and what to expect. 

Chloe and Nino crouched on either side of him as he worked and he felt Chloe place a hand on his back. 

“Adrien,” she asked softly. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “What are you going to do when your father realizes you left again? You know he can force you to come back.” 

“We don’t have the slightest clue how to break the spell he has on you, either,” Nino added, moving aside as Adrien began to draw near his feet. 

“I can resist it for a while when I’m in another Realm,” Adrien murmured, finishing up the circle. “Its unpleasant, but not impossible. I can hold out long enough to find someone that knows what to do, hopefully. If I can’t, I’ll come back alone. I never want Marinette to have to step foot in this place again.”

He stood up, dusting his hand off on his jeans and looking over his work with a quick nod. It would do. 

“Alright, everyone get into the circle,” he said, stepping in and holding out his hands. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”


	12. Chapter 12

As soon as they appeared in Marinette and Alya’s living room, Marinette whirled on Adrien again, ignoring the deadened feeling in her limbs in favor of voicing her anger. 

“Thank you for getting me home,” she ground out, hating the taste of gratitude on her tongue. “Now, get the hell out of my house.” Alya stepped forward, reaching out to Marinette. 

“Girl, if you would just let him explain,” she started, cutting off when Marinette turned to her with fire in her eyes. She pointed an accusing finger at Alya’s chest. 

“You’re siding with him?” She snapped, betrayal coiling around her heart. Alya shook her head with an exasperated sigh. 

“I’m not taking sides, Marinette. I’m just saying, you should at least hear what he has to say,” she reasoned. Marinette was having none of it. 

“Get out. All of you, get out,” she said, shaking. She couldn’t believe that Alya wasn’t on her side, especially after all they had been through. She was supposed to be her best friend. 

“Marinette, please,” Adrien spoke up, stepping forward. Filled with renewed anger, Marinette threw her hand out, stopping Adrien in his tracks. He looked down at his feet, frowning in confusion. Nino and Chloe looked at him in alarm, trying to move toward him only to find that they were unable to. 

“I don’t want to hear any more lies,” Marinette said, turning the full heat of her glare on him. 

“I’m not lying to you,” he said, trying to move forward again only to find that he was still firmly rooted in place. 

“Seriously, did you not hear a thing that I said a minute ago?” Chloe scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and rolling her eyes. “Adrien had no intentions of following through with that marriage. If he did, he wouldn’t have brought you back here.” 

“And why should I trust you, either?” Marinette snapped, scowling at Chloe. She dropped her hand and Adrien let out a soft sigh of relief, taking a tiny step closer. 

“M, girl, don’t you think you’re being a little unreasonable? He did just get you home safely. If he hadn’t stormed into that place to find you, you’d still be stuck in that creepy hellhole,” Alya said, fixing Marinette with a resolute stare. Marinette clenched her hands into fists and ground her back teeth together. 

“Unreasonable? I was kidnapped, told by the Demon King that my own father basically sold me to him, I had to sneak out of the palace and fight my way through those _things._ And then I see you, my best friend, and you’re siding with the same guy that caused me to be taken in the first place. I won’t ask again.” She looked at the group in front of her and pointed a shaking finger to the door. “Get. Out.” 

“Marinette,” Nino started, speaking up for the first time. Marinette turned her frosty glare to him and he held his hands up in front of him. “I just want to say, you’re right. You’ve been through a lot today and I’m sorry that you did. You didn’t deserve any of this. We’ll go, but we do want to talk because, the fact is, this isn’t something we can run from. You’re involved in this and King Douche Canoe won’t give up so easily. So, when you’ve had the time to process everything and you feel ready, will you please give us the chance to sit down and talk?” 

Marinette felt tears prick the backs of her eyes and she swallowed down the lump that was forming in her throat. She wanted to tell them all to go to hell. She wanted to throw them out of her house and never see or speak to any of them again. She wanted to curl up under all of the blankets on her bed and cry.

But, Nino was right. 

So, pursing her lips and fighting back the nasty words resting on her tongue, Marinette reluctanly nodded once. 

“Thank you,” Nino said before grabbing Adrien and Alya and ushering them out the door. Chloe trailed behind, seeming like she was debating with herself. When she got to the doorway, she looked over her shoulder at Marinette. 

“Look,” she started, her voice soft, “I just want you to know that I kind of know what you’re feeling right now. I was taken to that place against my will, too, as a kid. I know I can be pretty bitchy, but I just wanted you to know that you’re not alone. Your anger is justified. But, like, reach out to one of us if you need anything.” 

With that said, Chloe gave Marinette one last look and shut the door behind her, leaving Marinette alone. In solitude, Marinette let the tears fall down on her face once again, falling to her knees on the floor.


	13. Chapter 13

“Is she going to be okay?” Adrien asked once the four of them were back in the hotel room. Alya sighed and fell onto the couch while Nino moved to grab drinks from the mini fridge. 

“She should be willing to hear us out once she calms down, I hope,” Alya said. Chloe sat down on the edge of the loveseat and crossed her legs, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Adrien sat beside her with two beers, placing his thumb on her chin to pull her lip out of her mouth and wordlessly offering her one of the bottles. Nino took his place beside Alya, opening her drink before passing it to her. 

Adrien lifted the cool bottle to his lips and took a long swallow, only to nearly choke as a sharp pain stabbed through his head. He swallowed roughly and coughed, barely managing to sit the bottle at his feet before clutching his head with both hands. 

“Are you okay?” The other three asked, almost in unison. He faintly felt Chloe lay a hand on his back and ground his teeth together against the pain shooting through his skull. 

“I think my dad just discovered that I left,” he ground out, wincing as another wave of pain hit him. He was almost certain that his brain would melt out of his ears if it didn’t stop soon. 

“Is there anything we can do?” Alya asked and Adrien shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“Not unless you know how to break the spell King Cock Thistle has on him,” Nino answered, passing a bottle of painkillers to Adrien. They wouldn’t make the pain stop, but they would at least help make it tolerable. Adrien fumbled with the bottle with shaking hands before Chloe grabbed it from him, shaking out four pills and handing them to him. 

“Thanks,” Adrien grunted, knocking the pills back and chasing them with his drink. He leaned his head against his knees, waiting for the medicine to take effect. 

“What needs to be done to break the spell?” Alya asked. Adrien heard Nino sigh. 

“We don’t know. It was placed on him when he was born, so it’s grown with him. All I know from research is that it can be deadly if it’s done wrong and it won’t be pleasant in the least if it’s done right.”

“What do you mean by ‘it’s grown with him’?” Alya asked, sounding puzzled. If Adrien looked up, he figured he would see her staring at him like he was a puzzle to be figured out. 

“Think of it like, uh, like a muscle,” Nino explained. “As you grow, your muscles grow with you, right?” He paused and Adrien assumed Alya nodded. “Well, the spell was placed on him as a baby. It’s a part of him. It’s grown in strength as he’s gotten older, and the magic itself is almost like a physical tether that binds him to his father. Kind of like a muscle, the magic is woven throughout his body by now and if someone that doesn’t know what they’re doing tries to remove it, they could kill him.” 

“Do you guys even know where to look for someone that can do it?” Chloe asked, still rubbing Adrien’s back. He shook his head. The pain was starting to lessen, but he still felt like his head was going to fall clean off of his shoulders if he let go of it. 

“No idea,” Nino said. “It isn’t exactly a common spell, either. Most people refuse to cast it, since it can strip a person’s free will from them. I’m convinced the only reason Adrien still has his free will is because he’s stubborn as all hell.” 

Adrien let out a breathy chuckle at that. His father had definitely tried to make him completely submissive to him, and resisting that had caused Adrien a lot of pain growing up. But, it was worth it. Especially if he could get the spell broken; he could stay in the Human Realm, make up with Marinette, marry her, have three kids--

He shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts. Marinette hated him right now, for one thing. Thoughts about their nonexistent future together would only depress him. Groaning, he sat back up and massaged his temples. 

“I guess I’m crashing here tonight, if you guys don’t mind,” Alya mumbled, looking put out. No doubt, she was upset about Marinette being so angry with her. Adrien winced, feeling guilty for even bringing her into this mess. 

“That’s fine, babe,” Nino said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

“Does this hotel offer room service? I’m starving,” Chloe whined. At Adrien’s nod, she got up and went off in search of a menu to order food for everyone. Adrien dropped his hands into his lap and leaned back into the couch, wishing that he could just melt into the plush grey cushions and disappear. 

Nino’s phone buzzed on the table and he reached over to grab it with a puzzled frown. Unlocking the screen, he looked at the text message with a raised eyebrow. 

“It’s Marinette,” he said, shock evident in his tone. At the sound of her name, Adrien snapped to attention, leaning forward eagerly, pain all but forgotten.

“What did she say?” He asked, trying to lean over to see the screen. Nino typed out a quick reply before answering. 

“She said she’s willing to meet with me tomorrow to talk,” he said, confusion lacing his voice. 

“Just you?” Alya asked, grabbing Nino’s hand and tilting the screen towards herself. 

“Yeah. She said _‘I’m willing to meet with you tomorrow to talk about what happened. Only you, don’t bring the others.’_ ” He explained. Alya bit her lip and released the phone, pulling her own out of her pocket to glance at the screen dejectedly.

Adrien’s heart sunk in his chest at the knowledge that she didn’t want to see him, though he supposed he couldn’t blame her. 

“That’s good, right?” Adrien started, picking at his jeans. “At least she’s willing to talk to one of us. And you’ll be able to talk to her calmly and hopefully she will listen. You’re good at calming people down, Nino.”

Nino shrugged and adjusted his glasses, a nervous habit he had developed over the years. 

“I guess,” he said, falling back against the couch. “But, I don’t know how to explain all of this to her. I don’t know much about the situation, but I guess you don’t either since I’ve heard everything you’ve heard.”

Chloe came back over and sat down, kicking off her shoes and tucking her feet underneath herself. 

“Just tell her what you know,” she said. “Adrien’s megalomaniac daddy made a deal about his son’s future without his consent or knowledge, told him about it and sent him here. Adrien saw it as his chance to escape his father and didn’t actively look for her, since you said you wandered into that bakery by chance. Then, Adrikins fell in love with the baker witch and started looking for a way to break that stupid binding spell but his father decided to take matters into his own hands.”

“I’m not in love with her,” Adrien groaned, rolling his eyes and dropping his head back. Chloe patted his knee. 

“Hush, honey. Yes, you are.”

Adrien groaned again. He hoped that Nino would have the good sense to leave his feelings out of the conversation because that was the last thing Marinette needed to deal with. Besides, he couldn’t even know if his feelings were genuine, as everyone conveniently forgot. 

Nino would meet up with Marinette, explain everything, and hopefully they would all be able to work together to fix this mess. Then, he could sort out his feelings by himself. 

And, if Marinette never wanted to see him again after all of this was over, it wouldn’t matter what he felt for her anyway.


	14. Chapter 14

A knock sounded on the door and Marinette heaved a sigh, dragging her feet as she went to open it. This was the absolute last thing she wanted to do, but she knew it needed to be dealt with. Ignoring the problem wouldn’t make it go away. 

With each step closer to the door, her stomach tied itself in more and more knots. She wanted to puke. Wrapping her fingers around the doorknob, she took a deep breath and pulled it open to reveal Nino, fidgeting with his hat and looking like he was about to be burned at the stake. 

The day was still young, Marinette mused. A burning at the stake could still very likely be the outcome of this conversation. 

Only time would tell, she supposed.

“Nino,” Marinette said curtly, stepping aside to let him in. He adjusted his glasses and hesitantly stepped inside. 

“Hey, Marinette. Thank you for agreeing to talk,” he said, shuffling his feet. Marinette crossed over to the couch and sat down, nodding her head to the other side. He gingerly sat down on the edge, poised to flee at a moment’s notice. 

“I’m not going to smite you or anything,” she said, rolling her eyes. “You can relax a little bit. I agreed to talk to you because you were the only one looking at the situation from my point of view, and I appreciate that.”

Nino let out a breath and visibly relaxed, finally meeting her eyes and giving a half-smile. 

“Of course, dude. I think you’ve handled it really well, considering all that happened. Everyone needs time to process their emotions and I could tell that having everyone come at you all at once was only making you more stressed out, which really wasn’t anybody’s intention,” he said, scooting further back onto the cushion. 

“So, let’s cut to the chase,” Marinette started, crossing her arms over her chest and turning to face him completely. “What the hell is going on?” 

Nino cringed and adjusted his hat. 

“Okay, before I start, I just want you to know that I’m not taking sides. I’ve been by Adrien’s side throughout all of this, including when his father dropped the marriage bomb on him. So, it’s going to sound like I’m defending him, but I’m not. He should have told you sooner, but I’m going to tell you the things I heard and the things him and I talked about,” he said, looking deep into Marinette’s eyes. 

She nodded and motioned for him to go on. He settled back against the arm of the couch and rested an arm across the back of it. 

“Well, a few weeks ago, King Dickhole just walked in and announced that Adrien was going to get married to you, told him vague details about the deal, and sent us on our way. Adrien tried to argue against it, but his father wasn’t hearing it. You met the man, he’s got his head so far up his ass that it needs to be surgically removed.” 

Marinette nodded again, biting her lip. Her heart ached, being so mad at Adrien when she still cared so much about him. 

“Well, we came here and Adrien decided that, instead of searching for you, he was going to use the time here to try to break the spell his father has on him. When he was a baby, his father placed a very strong binding spell over him so that he would be obedient and wouldn’t step too far out of line. I think the goal was to make him completely submissive to his every whim, but Adrien is stubborn.

“Anyway, we came here to break the spell. Which, we still have no idea how to do. So, I was starving after we first got here and we passed your bakery on the way to the hotel. Adrien is a sucker for macarons, so we decided to pick some up. That’s when we met Alya, and her and I hit it off.”

Marinette nodded again. She remembered Alya telling her about the cute guys that came in while she was cleaning the kitchen that night, waving Nino’s phone number around like a victory flag. 

“So, fast forward to when we met you,” Nino continued, genturing to Marinette with one hand. “Adrien wasn’t positive that you were the girl he had been told about. His father had only told him your first name, and Adrien hadn’t really listened because he didn’t plan to actually look for you. That was all just creepy coincidence. He didn’t want to tell you about it until he was sure that you were the right girl.” 

Nino rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. Marinette fidgeted with one of her braids, feeling her anger lessen ever-so-slightly. 

“When he was pretty sure that you were the right girl,” Nino said, rubbing his forehead and adjusting his hat again, “he was already so attached to you that he was scared that telling you would scare you away. So, his plan was to find someone to break the binding spell as quickly as possible, so that you would never have to deal with any of it. That was the plan, anyway. Nobody expected his father to do what he did, though we probably should have.

“Alya came to us when she couldn’t find you, Adrien flipped out and we came here and noticed that you had been taken. We explained everything I just told you to Alya, because she was ready to rip us apart with her bare hands.” He paused to shudder and Marinette found herself sympathizing. Alya was definitely a force to be reckoned with and Marinette always thanked her lucky stars that she was never on the receiving end of Alya’s anger. 

Nino continued, telling her about what had happened when they got to the palace, about Adrien’s standoff with his father. Marinette tried to hang onto her anger; she really did. But, the compassionate part of her was winning against the bitter parts. To her, it seemed that Adrien was almost as much of a victim in this as she was. 

She was still pissed that he hadn’t just told her everything, though. She’d definitely have words with him about that later. 

When Nino finished his monologue, he winced and leaned away from her as if he expected her to toss him bodily from her house. But, Nino wasn’t the one her anger was directed at anymore. Neither was Adrien, Alya, or Chloe. 

Now, her anger settled on two men: King Gabriel and her biological father. 

“Okay,” Marinette said softly and Nino did a double-take, looking at her in bewilderment. “I believe you. I’m still mad that Adrien hadn’t told me any of this before, and him and I _will_ be having a talk about that later. But, I did a lot of thinking last night and you guys did come to save me. If Adrien really planned on going through with the marriage, bringing me back here wouldn’t have helped him do that. So, I believe you.” 

Nino’s face split into a relieved smile and he sagged against the couch. 

“Oh, thank God,” he breathed, chuckling. “I was fully expecting for you to punch me in the face or something.” Marinette gave a tiny smile and shook her head. 

“No. No punching today. Adrien and I can deal with our issues later. Right now, it’s all of us against the King.” She looked at Nino with steely determination in her eyes. “First things first, we’re going to break Adrien’s spell.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can anyone spot my lame Panic! at the Disco reference in this chapter??? I couldn't resist.

About two hours after he left, Nino strolled back into the hotel room looking hopeful. 

“How did it go?” Adrien asked as soon as he stepped foot in the door, jumping up from his seat. Nino pursed his lips and stepped aside, revealing Marinette’s small frame behind him and Adrien’s breath caught in his throat. 

“It went fine,” Marinette answered. Her voice soothed a pain in Adrien’s heart that he hadn’t even fully realized was there until it was gone. He was rooted to the spot, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Marinette looked around. “Where’s Alya?” 

“She, um,” Adrien trailed off, still not believing that Marinette was actually standing in front of him. He honestly hadn’t expected to see her again, and definitely not so soon. “She took Chloe to buy some clothes, since she came here without anything.”

Nino crossed the room and patted Adrien on the shoulder before flopping down onto the couch, Marinette not far behind him. She seem at ease, but the rense set of her shoulders told Adrien that she was possibly just as nervous as he was. She crossed her legs and gave Adrien a pointed look, making him realize with a jolt that he was still standing like a statue, staring at her like she was from another planet. He ran a hand through his hair and forced his feet to move, sitting on the loveseat so that he didn’t make Marinette uncomfortable. 

“So, are we okay?” Adrien asked timidly. Marinette crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head back, looking down her nose at him. 

“I’m still pissed that you didn’t tell me anything. And we’ll be having a talk about that later,” she said briskly and Adrien’s shoulders hitched up around his ears. “But,” she said, her tone and posture softening, “I realize that you’re a victim in this, too. Nino told me about the spell that your father has on you.”

Adrien winced and brought a had up to rub the back of his neck, looking away from her and staring pointedly at a discolored spot on the wall to his right. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Marinette to know about it; she needed to know the whole story. But, having a spell placed on him that made him bend to his father’s will was, quite frankly, _embarrassing._ It wasn’t pleasant, it wasn’t conventional, and it sure as hell wasn’t normal. 

But, he had been dealing fine thus far. Now he just needed to get rid of it. 

“I’m working on that,” he mumbled, still refusing to look at her. 

“Marinette has someone we can ask,” Nino said happily and Adrien whipped his head around to look at them. 

“Really?” He asked, hopeful. He was so ready to get out from under his father’s thumb, and to get rid of the persistant stabbing at the base of his skull, as well. Marinette nodded and leaned forward, pulling her hair over her shoulder to play with it. 

“My old teacher. I don’t know if he’ll be able to do it, but he should at least be able to point us in the right direction. I called him on the way over here and he said he can meet us later this evening,” she explained and Adrien bounced in place a few times, the couch quietly squeaking under his weight. 

The door to the hotel room swung open, banging against the wall as Chloe strode in with shopping bags hanging from her arms. Alya trailed in behind her, holding several more and looking contemplative. 

“Good news, you guys! I have several new outfits to start my new wardrobe and--” Chloe boasted, freezing when she saw Marinette sitting on the couch. Alya dropped the bags to the floor, also catching sight of her best friend. 

“Marinette?” She said, taking a hesitant step forward. Marinette stood up and launched herself at Alya, wrapping her arms around her waist. 

“I’m so sorry,” she mumbled into the taller girl’s shoulder. Alya wrapped her arms tight around Marinette and pressed her face to the top of her head. 

“No, girl. I’m sorry. I should have taken your feelings into consideration,” she said, taking a deep breath as the two stepped apart. Marinette tucked her hair behind her ear and looked up with a small smile that melted Adrien’s heart, even though it wasn’t directed towards him. 

“Nino explained everything and I did a lot of thinking last night. Everything is fine now,” she reassured Alya, who smiled and grabbed her in another hug before picking up the discarded bags and tossing them onto Adrien’s bed, which Chloe had taken over. 

“So, all of the angsty bullshit is over?” Chloe asked, nonchalantly pulling clothes out and folding them on the bed. Adrien turned his eyes to the ceiling, mentally cursing Chloe’s blunt way of going about things. 

“Most of it,” Marinette said and Adrien’s eyes snapped back to her to see her crossing her arms and leveling Adrien with a cool stare. “Adrien and I will be having a talk about his secret keeping later.”

Looking at him like that, Adrien expected that this ‘talk’ would involve her kicking his ass from there to next Wednesday. He was kind of worried about how hot he found the idea. He filed that thought away to revisit later and gave her an apologetic smile. 

“I’m really sorry,” he said, taking a hesitant step toward her. “I was wrong, I should have told you sooner.” Marinette pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed, but gave him a small smile when she looked back at him. 

“I know. And I do accept your apology, but we’ll still be having a talk later. Now, though, we have something more important to worry about.” 

Everyone in the room turned to look at her and she fidgeted for a second before straightening her shoulders and looking Adrien right in the eye. 

“Like I said,Nino told me about your spell. I think I know someone that may be able to help. He taught me magic when I was younger, and he has a ton of books on ancient spells and stuff. I’m almost sure that he’d know something about yours.”


	16. Chapter 16

Pain. Blinding, white hot pain courses through Adrien’s body, snatching him out of sleep. He cries out and chokes, coughing once and curling onto his side, squeezing his eyes shut. There was a tugging sensation deep in his muscles; it felt like his bones were trying to force their way out of his body. 

He could faintly hear voices, a swirling echo in his brain that hammered against the sides of his skull. Reaching up to clutch his head, he brought his knees to his chest and a whimper escaped him. 

“Adrien?” One of the voices asked, muffled like they were speaking to him through a pillow. He couldn’t answer. He ground his back teeth together so hard he thought they might shatter. The floor was hard and unforgiving underneath his side. 

How did he get on the floor? He vaguely remembered falling asleep on the couch so that Marinette and Chloe could sleep in his bed. 

He groaned again as a stronger wave of pain hit him, making him dizzy. For a moment, he thought he would pass out. He _hoped_ he would pass out, if only for some momentary relief. Instead, he remained horribly awake and aware of his body tearing itself apart from the inside. 

The voices started again, though he still couldn’t make out any of the words they were saying. They sounded frantic, and he brought his hands down over his ears as they raised in volume. He was breathing heavily, every inhale stabbing him in the chest, and he could just barely feel the sweat on his face. 

But the pain wouldn’t stop. 

His bones felt like they were breaking, his muscles tearing apart. His insides were on _fire._

Suddenly, gentle hands were on his shoulder, rolling him onto his back. He tried to take a deep breath and, as the hands settled on his chest, he found that he could. Featherlight fingers trailed up to his head, cupping the sides of his face and the pounding in his skull slowly ebbed away. Down his neck, to his shoulders, and down his arms the hands went, leaving a numbing coolness in their wake. He wiggled his fingers slowly. 

The touches moved back to his chest and down his torso, extinguishing the fire in his belly. Down his waist, hips, legs, all the way to his toes, the pain slowly melted out of him and he breathed a sigh of relief. The hands landed back on his chest and he slowly opened his eyes. 

Marinette’s worried face peered down at him, her lower lip caught between her teeth. Her hands were on his chest, chasing away the last of his agony. 

“Are you okay?” She asked softly, her hands radiating warmth. He raised a shaky hand and pushed his sweat soaked bangs off of his forehead, glancing at the three other faces around him. Alya and Chloe looked frantic. Nino looked angry and worried all at once. 

“What happened?” He croaked and cleared his throat. He tried to push himself up onto his elbows, but Marinette gently but firmly pushed him back down. He was laying on the floor in front of the door. 

“You were sleepwalking,” Nino explained, his voice low. “King Numbnut summoned you, I think, and you got to the door and froze. I was getting up to check on you when you dropped to the floor and started screaming. You were fighting against the summons.”

“I guess, with you being asleep, you were in a more vulnerable state and that allowed him to cause you pain like that,” Marinette said, looking around for confirmation. Chloe and Nino nodded. 

“How did you make it stop?” Adrien asked. “What did you do?”

Marinette looked down at her hands, a confused frown pulling at the corners of her mouth. 

“I don’t know, actually. I just knew I had to do _something_ so I put my hands on you and concentrated really hard on taking the pain away,” she mumbled, still staring at her hands like she had never seen them before. “I’m honestly scared to move them now, because I don’t know if it’ll come back if I do.”

“The fact that King Gabriel would stoop so low as to hurt you that much is ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous,” Chloe snapped, fire in her icy blue gaze. 

“I wish you had been able to kill him when you had the chance,” Alya muttered darkly. Adrien locked eyes with Marinette and gave her a small nod. 

“Try it,” he said, pushing up onto his elbows successfully this time. Marinette took a slow breath before gingerly taking her hands off of his chest. She left her fingertips on him and looked at him for reassurance and he nodded again. 

The second the contact was broken, Adrien was thrown back onto the floor, letting out a yell before his lungs seized up and he was choking for air. Marinette immediately dropped her hands back down to his chest and he gasped, finally inhaling. 

“Okay, so, new plan,” Nino said and they all turned to look at him. He pointed at Marinette. “You, keep touching him. We will go see your old master as soon as the sun comes up.”

Adrien, finally regaining control of his breathing, cleared his throat again and winced. His hair and clothes were sticking to him with sweat and he felt itchy and damp. 

“One problem with that,” he said sheepishly. Marinette turned to face him but he kept his gaze locked on Nino. 

“What’s that?” Nino asked, raising an eyebrow. Adrien cringed and reached up to shakily rub the back of his neck. 

“I really have to pee. And I also really need a shower,” he admitted, feeling his face flush. Nino chuckled, leaning forward to pat Marinette on the back. 

“Well, good luck with that, you two.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I PROMISE I havent abandoned this story. We are in the process of buying our first house (yay!) And have temporarily had to cancel put internet until we relocate. I'm updating this on my phone, and I wrote this chapter on my phone also, so I apologize for any errors I may have missed.  
> We will hopefully be moving in over the next 2 or 3 weeks and I will work towards getting back to regular updates again once everything has settled.  
> Thank you guys so much for sticking with me and this story <3
> 
> EDIT 10/1/19: I promise I havent abandoned this story! I have the next few chapters already written, but getting internet out here has been a sloooooowwwww process (I live in the boondocks lmao). Hopefully we will back back online by the end of this week! Again, thank you guys so much for being patient, yall are the best.

One incredibly awkward bathroom trip and shower later, Marinette stood with her eyes firmly closed, red faced, with one hand on Adrien’s lower back while he got dressed. While Adrien had been in the shower, her hand had slipped off of his back and he had collapsed on the shower floor, screaming in agony again. She had blindly lunged forward, grabbing the first body part she could come into contact with, and had been blushing furiously and dead silent ever since.

Soft cotton brushed the back of her hand and Adrien reached back, grabbing her hand with his own and led her out of the bathroom. 

“You can open your eyes now,” he said quietly. Blinking against the sudden light, she glanced at the side of his face before her eyes darted back to the floor. 

“Sorry about the accidental groping,” she mumbled, wishing that the floor would open up and swallow her whole. Adrien chuckled and she looked up at him through her bangs. He was rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. 

“It’s fine. It’s better to laugh about it,” he said, bumping her shoulder with his own as they made their way into the main room. Marinette huffed out a laugh, tightening her grip on his hand. Nino stood up from the couch as they made their way over. 

“First of all, I don’t even want to know what you two are all red faced over. Second, Marinette, your phone rang while you were in the bathroom and Alya answered it. Fu said he’s up and that we can head over,” he said. 

“I’m going to stay here,” Chloe announced, making herself comfortable on the bed that was previously Adrien’s. “I am dog tired and need to catch up on my beauty sleep.” 

“Do you guys mind if I stay here, too?” Alya asked, sliding up beside Nino. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and dropped a kiss to the top of her head. 

“Get some rest, babe. I’ll call you if we need you,” he said. Marinette looked at Adrien with wide eyes and a tentative smile pulling on the corners of her lips. 

"Let's go break this spell of yours, Prince," she said, bumping his shoulder with her own.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yall....I am so sorry. It has taken FOREVER for us to get internet out here (I live in the middle of Nowhere, USA). I will ve back online by next week and updating regularly again. I typed this up on my phone. 
> 
> I'm just...so sorry this took so long.

The walk to Master Fu's was a quiet one. Adrien's anxiety over whatever awaited him hung over the group like a cloud. 

"Hey, man," Nino says, looking over at Adrien as they reach the small massage parlor, "whatever happens in here, we've got your back."

"What if it doesn't work?" Adrien asks, tightening his grip on Marinette's hand. She squeezes his hand reassuringly in turn. 

"We have to believe that it will," she said, catching his gaze with a gentle smile. 

"But if it doesn't--"

"If it doesn't," Marinette interjects, cutting off Adrien's worrying, "then we'll just figure something else out. I'll break the spell myself if I have to." Adrien searches her gaze and finds nothing but reassurance. Taking a deep breath, he pushes open the door.

A short man in a floral printed shirt greets them as they take off their shoes by the door.

"Marinette, it is so good to see you again," he says, grasping her free hand and giving her a warm smile. He turns to Adrien and Nino. 

"You must be Nino," he says, nodding. Nino looks at him with raised eyebrows. 

"How did you know that?" He asks warily. Master Fu simply winks at him and turns to Adrien, looking at him appraisingly. 

"And you must be the prince. Come, sit down over here and we will get to work."

Master Fu ushers them to a mat at the center of the room. Nino sits at the small table off to the side while Marinette and Adrien settle down in the center of the mat. Master Fu takes in their joined hands with a raised eyebrow.

"My father is trying to summon me," Adrien explains. "Resisting him causes me pain and he's gotten angry that I've been ignoring him, do that's made the pain unbearable. Marinette's magic reduces it to a dull headache, but it comes back whenever she isn't touching me." Fu strokes his beard and gives a thoughtful nod. 

"I see," he says. "Marinette is a very powerful witch, though she is still learning. She has the rare gift of creation and healing." Master Fu places his hand in Adrien's shoulder, closing his eyes. 

Adrien stiffens under the old man's touch, unused to casual physical contact. He forces himself to relax as Fu gives a thoughtful hum, removing his hand. 

"I sense a powerful magic in you, as well. Destruction and negative probability manipulation, correct?" Fu opens his eyes and meets Adrien's dumbfounded stare. Adrien mutely nods, chewing in his bottom lip. 

"I didn't know you have magic, too," Marinette says, turning big blue eyes up to him. 

"Oh, yeah. My dude has this crazy power to destroy whatever he wants and give people terrible luck. It can be pretty terrifying to watch," Nino pipes up from the table. 

"The ability to sense powers in others will come with time and practice," Fu says, opening a large book on the floor. "Adrien, I'm going to need you to lay on your back right here and try to relax."

Adrien slowly stretches his legs out and leans back, keeping a tight grip on Marinette's hand. 

"What do I need todo, Master?" Marinette asks, sounding unsure. 

"For right now, I need you to help him relax. Keep your hand on him and don't take it off until I say so." Fu leans over the book, eyebrows creased in thought. A faint whistle comes from the kitchen. "Nino, I need you to grab the kettle off of the stove along with the blue box on the counter and bring them to me, please."

Nino jumps to his feet and hurries to comply. 

"Adrien, I can feel the anxiety coming off of you from here. I need you to try your best to relax," Fu says, glancing at the blond pile of nerves on the floor. 

"I'm trying," Adrien mumbles, squeezing his eyes shut. He tries to think of happy memories, tries to imagine what his life will be like free from his father's rule. He feels a gentle touch in his forehead and tenses until fingers stare to comb through his hair. He feels the tension slowly melt off of him with each gentle caress. 

"Much better," Marinette whispers, scratching lightly behind his ear. He focuses in the sound of her breathing, the feeling of her hand in his, and the fingers running through his hair. 

He hears Nino walk back into the room and there is a light thump on the floor as he sits down the tray of stuff he was asked to grab. 

"Is this going to be part of some magic potion or something?" Nino asks, half joking. Master Fu chuckles. 

"Not at all, this is just for my tea."

Adrien cracks open one eye and sees Fu pouring hot water into his cup and opening the blue box. Closing his eyes again, Adrien refocuses on Marinette. Another set of hands appear on his chest and his skin tingles under his shirt. 

Master Fu starts murmuring something under his breath, too low and quick for Adrien to understand. The hands on his chest grow warm and Adrien feels a slight tugging sensation in his belly. The feeling moves down to his does and out to his fingertips. 

Then, suddenly, he only feels pain. 

White-hot, blinding pain seizes his body, even worse than before. He yanks his hand out of Marinette's grasp before balling his hands into tight fists, grinding his back teeth together so hard he is sure they are going to break. A scream tears out of his throat and he arches, twisting and writhing on the ground. 

The sound of yelling barely registers at the back of his mind and he can't tell if it's from him or someone else. Its probably him. Another pair of hands grabs his legs, pinning him to the floor. His fingernails scrabble for purchase on the mat below, grabbing and ripping and squeezing. He struggles to pull in a breath before another raw scream drips out of him. 

His head. He feels like his skull is shattering and his brain liquefying. His eyes roll back into his head, his body trying to escape into unconsciousness, but the pain is too much. He feels the destructive energy of his power rolling just underneath his skin and the mat underneath him turns to dust before he can reign it back in. 

The pain moves to his stomach and he can only think to turn his head to the side before he vomits onto the floor, coughing and spluttering for a second before another scream claws it's way out of his throat. 

He dimly hears Marinette speaking to him but he can't understand what she is saying. There is a ringing in his ears and his stomach rolls again, but he finally, thankfully, passes out.


	19. Chapter 19

“Adrien!” Marinette yells, fluttering her hands uselessly over Adrien’s slumped form, unwilling to touch him and risk messing up Master Fu’s work. 

“He is okay, only unconscious,” Fu reassures her, brow furrowed in concentration. She glances over at Nino, who is holding down Adrien’s legs. He meets her gaze and takes a shaky breath. 

“Is he going to be okay?” He asks, looking at the old master. Master Fu nods, moving his hands to rest on Adrien’s chest. 

“Yes, but this will take a lot out of him. He is going to need time to recover. I can sense that this spell was placed on Adrien as an infant and as his body has grown, the magic has weaved itself into his muscles and skeleton. That’s why removing it is causing him so much pain. I am essentially ripping part of his body away.” 

Marinette cringes and chews on her thumbnail. 

“What can I do to help?” She asks, meeting Master Fu’s steady gaze. He moves his hands to Adrien’s forehead, hovering just above him. 

“I am going to have to wake him up. I need you to heal him as I strip the magic away from his body,” he says. 

“I don’t know how to do that!” She exclaims, flailing. Master Fu nods. 

“You do, you just haven’t had the chance yet. You were doing the same thing when you were helping to manage his pain earlier, just on a much smaller scale. Trust your instincts, Marinette. Let your power guide you.”

Marinette’s hands raise to her head, tugging lightly on her hair. Of all the times for her Master to spout some cryptic bullshit at her, it had to be now. She needed more to work with than that, she needed a plan of some kind; a course of action to follow. 

“What if I can’t do it? Adrien will be in so much pain, his heart could give out and then he could have a heart attack and it would all be my fault!” Master Fu gives her a wry look, raising an eyebrow at her. 

Right, she was only working herself up. She could do this, she could do this, she could do this. 

She takes a deep steadying breath and places her shaking hands on Adrien’s chest, closing her eyes. 

“Let your magic guide you. Focus on his pain, visualize like I’ve taught you. You can do this. Nino, keep hold of his legs for me. I’m going to wake him up in 3...2…”

Adrien’s entire body tenses and he lets out a strangled yell. Marinette pushes gently on his chest and grinds her teeth, concentrating as hard as she can on healing him. She pictures the magic flowing out of her hands and into his body, working to repair the damage that has been done. Her palms grow hot, almost uncomfortably so, but she ignores it. 

Adrien relaxes a fraction, his breath coming in short bursts. Master Fu’s hands brush over the backs of her own as he moves further down Adrien’s body. She carefully slides her hands up to his shoulders, his neck, his face, before slowly moving them back down. They glide back down over his chest, his stomach, following the path Master Fu’s hands take. 

She feels his belt buckle bump against her hand and she stills, heat rushing to her face as the mortification from blindly groping him in the shower crashes back into her mind. Adrien tenses again and groans, causing Marinette to force the thought from her head and concentrate. She ignores the heat in her face and continues on her path, holding her breath until her hands come into contact with his knees. 

She forcefully exhales and glides her hands down to his ankles, her fingers brushing against Nino’s before following the path back up. 

After the second pass over his body, fatigue starts to weigh on her. Her shoulders sag and her movements become sluggish, like all of the energy has been sapped out of her body. Marinette musters up all of her strength and keeps going. 

After three more exhausting passes from his head to his feet, she feels a tap to the back of her hand and pauses. She forces her heavy eyes open a fraction and sees Master Fu smiling at her. 

“It is done, Marinette. You have done wonderfully. You may rest now.” 

With a tired smile and a nod, she collapses onto the floor beside Adrien, taking a peek at his peaceful expression before closing her eyes.


	20. Chapter 20

In Adrien’s dreams, he’s happy. Happier than he can ever remember being. 

Marinette laughs next to him on the picnic blanket, the sun shining like a halo around her. She looks angelic, and the irony isn’t lost on him at all. She laughs and the sound is like the most beautiful song he’s ever heard. 

The dream is a far cry from the nightmares he usually has, that’s for sure. 

“Want another cookie?” She asks, offering him a passionfruit macaron. He chuckles and takes the treat from her hand. 

“You’re never going to get rid of me if you keep feeding me like this,” he says, taking a bite. Marinette smirks and crawls over to him, straddling his outstretched legs and looping her arms around his neck. 

“That’s the plan,” she breathes, leaning in to place a lingering kiss against his neck. Adrien closes his eyes and tilts his head to give her better access, dropping the half-eaten cookie onto the plate beside him as she slowly drags her lips up to his jawline. He lets out a pleased hum and wraps his hands around his waist. 

“Well, it’s definitely working,” he breaths out, taking in a shuddering breath as she nips at his earlobe. 

“Mmm, good,” she hums, settling down into his lap. “Because you’re all mine.” She pulls back to smile at him and her words warm him from head to toe. 

“Gonna keep me forever?” He asks, smirking and trailing his fingertips up her spine. She curls her tongue behind her teeth and runs her fingers through his hair. 

“Definitely.” She leans in and presses a slow, languid kiss to his lips and he melts against her, settling his hands back on her hips and pulling her closer to him. She pulls his lip between her teeth and bites down, making him groan. He leans back against the grass, pulling her down with him. 

Part of him has the presence of mind to at least hope that they aren’t in some public park, but most of him is preoccupied with the feeling of her body against his, her hands in his hair, tilting his head back and her lips on his neck. She grinds against him and bites down over his pulse point and all rational thought is thrown out the window in favor of feeling more, more, _more._

He rolls them over and suddenly they’re in a bed with pink sheets, her hair splayed out on the pillow underneath him, her face flushed. She shifts his weight to his elbow and runs a hand up his side, glancing down when he feels soft skin instead of cotton and finds that her shirt is missing, along with his own. 

He smirks. He can work with this. 

He leans in and starts trailing kisses down her throat, stopping to nip and suck on her collarbone and she lets out a breathy little moan that threatens to short-circuit his brain. She wraps her legs around his waist and pulls him against her, tilting her hips up against his. 

“Adrien,” she breathes, dragging her nails lightly down his back in a way that makes him shiver. He pulls them upright, gasping for breath and reaching around to unhook her bra. 

“Adrien,” she says again, pressing her now bare chest against his and rolling her hips. 

“Marinette,” he whispers, pushing her back against the bed and kissing her again. 

“Adrien,” she says, clearly this time, but her lips are still moving desperately against his own and wait, that doesn’t make sense--

“Adrien, wake up.” 

His eyes fly open and he gasps, clenching the blanket at his waist. 

“Wha--?” His vision slowly comes into focus and he sees Marinette leaning over him, her eyebrows creased in concern. His mind flashes to the image of a very different expression on her face and he feels his face heat up. 

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” she says with a gentle smile. He clears his throat and forces the remnants of his dream out of his mind before he has an even _harder_ time calming down than he already is. Suffice it to say, he’s incredibly thankful for the blanket that’s pooled around his waist and he instinctively pulls one of his knees up to conceal how _not_ calm he is. 

“What happened?” He asks, blinking hard and running a hand through his hair. Marinette sits down on the edge of the bed beside him. 

“We broke the spell, Adrien. You’re free from your father,” she says, beaming. Adrien feels himself smile. For the first time in his life, his father doesn’t have control over him. 

“How long was I asleep?” He asks, pushing himself up against the pillows. He looks around and he’s not at Master Fu’s anymore. There’s pink sheets on the bed under him, just like in his dream. He clears his throat again and forces himself to stay focused. Marinette cringes a little bit and gives a short chuckle. 

“About three days, give or take. You woke up a few times to eat a little bit and stuff, but you weren’t really awake, if that makes sense. I will warn you that Nino is going to tease you, though.”

“Oh, God. About what?” He asks. Marinette giggles, covering her mouth with her hand and obviously trying--and failing--not to smile. 

“He had to help me take care of you. I took care of helping you eat and stuff, but he had to help you into the bathroom because I wasn’t quite up to doing all of that,” she explains, her cheeks taking on a light pink hue. 

Adrien blanches and lets out a loud groan, letting his head fall back and covering his face with his hands. He idly wonders if he could manage to make it to the window to fling himself out of it. 

“Anything else I should know about how I embarrassed myself while I was unconscious?” He asks, dreading the answer. Marinette pursed her lips, glancing away from him and flushing darker before meeting his eyes again. 

“No, not really,” she says. Adrien squints at her and she smiles. He can tell that isn’t exactly the truth but, not wanting to feel any more embarrassed than he already is, he lets it slide.


	21. Chapter 21

“Nathalie!” King Gabriel bellows, storming out of his chambers and into the foyer of the palace. His right hand woman looks up at him over the rim of her glasses, an eyebrow raised. 

“Yes, Gabriel?” She asks, sighing and pushing back from her desk to rise to her feet. The King was obviously in a foul mood and it was better to face him standing. 

“My link to Adrien has been severed. I cannot reach him. This insolence will not be tolerated! Send someone to find and retrieve him at once. Knock him unconscious and drag his limp body back, if you must.” He stands with his arms crossed over his heaving chest, his face red with anger. Nathalie sighs again and straightens her glasses. 

“With all do respect, Sir, if Adrien went through the trouble of having the link severed, he clearly doesn’t want to be found. You and I both know that if Adrien wishes to stay hidden, nobody will be able to find him.” 

King Gabriel’s face pinches with disdain and he takes a step forward, obviously trying to intimidate her. She stands her ground-- she has worked alongside him far too long to be even remotely scared of him. 

“I don’t give a rat’s ass what Adrien wants. He is to be found and brought back here at once. He has an obligation to this family and he will either fulfill his duty as the prince or he will be sent to wander with the Souls,” he snaps and Nathalie is struck once again by how little compassion this man has for his son. Wisely, though, she doesn’t comment on it. 

“Yes, Sir. I will have some of the Shadows sent out to get a location on him,” she says, picking her tablet up from her desk. Shadows are demons without corporeal bodies. They appear as wisps of black smoke and are perfect for surveillance. 

Gabriel gives a curt nod and turns on his heel, stalking out of the room. Once he is safely out of sight, Nathalie rolls her eyes and sends a message out to the General to send two lower ranking Shadows out to look for Adrien. 

And if she sends a ballpark location for them to start looking that’s two cities away from where Adrien was last sighted, well, that was an honest mistake. 

 

\-------

Adrien thought that he would feel different once the spell binding him to his father had been lifted. He didn’t quite know what he expected, but he didn’t expect to feel so…normal. He found himself pondering over whether or not he was actually free from the King at all, but he trusted that Nino and Marinette wouldn’t lie to him.

Chloe and Alya had struck up an odd friendship, and Chloe had run off with the boyfriend she previously denied having. Adrien was happy for his childhood friend, she deserved to be loved. 

He sighs and absentmindedly swirls his straw around in his drink. He had expected to wake up after the spell was released and not have so many conflicted feelings about Marinette. He knew that the love he felt for her was the result of magic, it never occurred to him that it was due to a seperate spell than the one he had removed. 

“Why the long face, Sunshine?” Alya asks, looking over her burger at him. The two had gone out to lunch to ‘get to know each other better,’ according to Alya. Though, Adrien is fairly certain that she mostly planned to interrogate him. 

“Just a lot on my mind,” he says, taking a sip of his coke. Alya raises an eyebrow and waits for him to continue. He doesn’t, taking a bite of his own burger instead. She waits until he swallows and reaches for his drink before she smirks. 

“Thinking about how madly in love you are with my girl?” She asks. Adrien splutters, snatching a napkin off the table as soda comes out of his nose. She smirks wider and leans back in her seat as he hacks up a lung. 

“What?” He wheezes, catching his breath. She chuckles and shrugs, picking up a fry. 

“It’s obvious, there’s no point in denying it,” she says simply, popping the fry into her mouth while Adrien gapes at her like a fish. 

“I’m not-- it’s not-- she-- I-- _no,_ ” he stutters, picking up his burger and taking a large bite to prevent himself from saying anything else. Alya snorts. 

“Are you sure?” She asks. Adrien nods and swallows. 

“Positive,” he says, reaching for his drink again. It was getting hot in the restaurant all of a sudden. 

“Then what’s up with the dirty dreams you’ve been having about her?”

Note to self, Adrien ponders as he chokes and has another coughing fit. Don’t drink anything around Alya, ever.

_“What?!”_ He whisper-shouts, not wanting to attract more attention from the other diners. His near-death (twice) had garnered enough attention already. 

“Nino told me,” she says, smiling at him innocently, as if she hadn’t just shaved eleven years off of his life. His face burns and he frantically wracks his brain for a way out of this conversation, but comes up with nothing. Sighing, he gives in. 

“Fine,” he says, dropping his head into his hand. “Yes, I’m crazy in love with her. But I still don’t know if it’s a magic thing or my actual, honest feelings. I expected the issue to go away once I got the binding spell removed, but my feelings just got harder to ignore.” 

Alya reaches over and pats his arm. 

“There, there. The Almighty Alya is here to help you sort out your problems,” she says and Adrien peeks up at her. 

“How?” He asks hesitantly. She leans back and taps her chin, her lips pursed and eyebrows drawn together. After nearly a full minute, she spreads her fingers and drops her hands to her lap. 

“Well, I’m just a human, so I may not know much about magic. But, my best friend is a witch so I’ve picked up on a few things. I honestly don’t think that a spell like the one you guys are dealing with would give you feelings for each other. I’m sure you’d feel a draw to one another, sure. It may act as a catalyst to love, but I don’t think it can just make you be _in love out of nowhere.”_

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Adrien raises an eyebrow at her and picks at the rest of his food. 

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“Okay, so, Marinette hated you for a little while, right?” She asks and Adrien cringes. 

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“Yeah.” 

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“Well, if that spell affects how you guys feel, she wouldn’t have had the chance to develop any kind of negative feelings about you. She would have been so enamoured with you that she would have overlooked it in favor of being with you. Does that make sense?” 

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“Kind of.” Adrien furrows his brow, trying to think back to how he felt when he first met Marinette. He wouldn’t say it was love at first sight, but he was certainly drawn to her. That very well could have been the spell, plus she was incredibly attractive and easy to talk to, so anyone would have been drawn to her. 

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“And,” Alya continues, “yeah, maybe you fell for her pretty fast. I’m sure that’s a big part of why you’re so hesitant to believe that it’s all wrapped up in the magic. But, sometimes love just happens that way. Look at Nino and I. We hit it off and started dating and now I can’t imagine myself with anyone else, but there’s no spell involved with us.” 

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“That’s true,” Adrien says, biting his lip. He tries not to get his hopes up, though. Even if his feelings are genuinely his own, he’s pretty positive that Marinette doesn’t feel the same way. She probably sees him as a demon that dropped into her life and turned everything into a shitshow. She’s been friendly, of course, but that’s just Marinette. She’s a friendly person. 

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Not to mention, Adrien comes with a shit ton of baggage, a crown that he doesn’t want, literal demons and a dick of a father. If he truly loves her, how could he burden her with all of that? 

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“Exactly. I don’t doubt that you actually do love her,” Alya says. “Marinette is my best friend and she’s one of the most important people in the world to me. If I thought for a second that your feelings weren’t genuine, I’d punt your ass clear across the city, your freaky demon powers be damned.” 

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Adrien chuckles at that. He might have demon powers, but Alya is a force to be reckoned with all on her own. He doesn’t doubt for a second that she would put him six-feet under without a second thought in order to protect Marinette. 

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“Well, regardless,” Adrien says, waving the waiter over for the check. “I highly doubt Marinette has any such feelings for me so, really, how I feel doesn’t matter. I’m happy to have her as a friend, if nothing else.” 

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Adrien thanks the waiter, completely missing the dry look Alya sends his way. 

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**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr! I'm branching out and trying to take requests, so send me stuff!
> 
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hellbreaker-ml0234


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